The Demigod Games
by FandomsForeva
Summary: Once a year, 24 children are Reaped to participate in a fight to the death. This year is no different. From a blonde genius from 3 to a bitter black-haired boy from 12 to the reluctant green-eyed volunteer from 4, the contestants come from all walks of life. Still, they all have one common goal-to survive. Who will come out on top? T-M for murder and language. Now COMPLETE!
1. The Reaping (Part 1)

"You're not actually going to volunteer, are you?" Castor's brother Pollux asked him frantically. "You're not that crazy!"

"I told you, Pollux, I need to do this!" Castor hissed. "This is the only way that we're ever going to be able to support ourselves. Father's only interest anymore is getting drunk and he's going to lose the business, and then there'll be nowhere for us to go! This is our only option!"

"No, it's not!" Castor's brother began to raise his voice. "You don't have to throw your life away! We'll find a way!"

Castor didn't have time to concentrate on Pollux. "Shhh, it's starting!"

"Castor—"

Castor began to move away from his brother, edging closer to the stage. As an 18-year old, he had a good position for volunteering. Still, he didn't want to take any chances.

"Maron Jace!" Silenus, the escort, called out.

"I volunteer!" Castor shouted, shoving a few other 18-year-olds out of the way and sprinting up to the stage. He beat the few other children who had the audacity of volunteering in the same year that he had, taking his rightful spot next to Silenus.

"Wonderful!" Silenus said. "And what would your name be?"

"Castor Bordeax," Castor said.

"Let's give it up for Castor Bordeax!"

Castor didn't pay attention to the clapping, instead choosing to find Pollux's face in the crowd. He smiled at him, but Pollux didn't respond.

"Now for the girls!" Silenus delicately plucked a slip of paper from the girl's ball, but before he could even read it, a voice shouted, "I volunteer!"

A girl pushed her way up to the stage, average height, bright red hair, freckles. Silenus seemed surprised. "Well then! We have another volunteer! What's your name?"

"Nancy Bobofit." The girl smirked out at the crowd. "And I'll be the Victor."

"Wonderful!" said Silenus. "Shake hands, please."

Nancy gripped Castor's hand tightly, smiling, showing off a snaggletooth. Castor squeezed back, hoping that Nancy realized he was not to be trifled with.

Silenus took center stage again. "And here are your tributes from District 1!"

XXXXX

"Octavian Hill!"

Octavian waited for the volunteer that would surely come, but inexpicably, the square remained silent. Octavian glared out around him. _Come on, then,_ he thought. _Is one of your cretins going to take my place as you bragged you would this morning? Or are you too scared?_

When it became obvious that no one was going to come to the rescue, Octavian moved out of the clump of 16-year-olds and stalked up to the stage. He made sure to keep his face calm and unreadable. He was strong. He could do this.

Lars, the escort, seemed confused. Octavian could read the disappointment on his face. _Poor Lars. He gets District 2, expects a strong volunteer, and then gets stuck with scrawny little me._ Octavian hated the expression on the man's face. Once he had won the Games, he would make sure to rip it off, to utterly _destroy_ the man before him.

Octavian kept his face impassive as he stared out at the crowd. Lars reached for another slip of paper. "Gwendolyn Taggert!"

And _now_ there were shouts from all around, willing to help and to go to the Games. Did everyone in the district hate him that much? Were they all willing to give up their chances just to see him die?

The girl who won the race to the stage looked strong. She was muscular, but there was something else dangerous about her—perhaps the flintly look in her eye or the way that she looked at Octavian, proud, seemingly undefeatable. Octavian smiled at her, slowly.

"I am Reyna," the brunette said.

 _No last name? I think I may have discovered a sensitive spot…_

Lars looked happy, at least, with this volunteer. "District 2, I present to you…your tributes!

XXXXX

Talos, the escort who thought it would be a great idea to dye his skin gold, had just picked out the girl that would be dying this year. Annie Beth, or something, with curly blonde hair. It wouldn't be long until the boy was picked, and then everyone could go home. Leo wanted to put in a few extra hours today, get some bonus money for bad times and to buy the machine shop with.

Leo made eye contact with his younger brother Harley, who looked terrified. It was nice that Harley was so worried for him. Harley wouldn't have to compete until next year, when he turned 12, but Leo was 14 and could easily be Reaped. After all, the two brothers needed a lot of tesserae to keep themselves alive, ever since their mother had died in a factory accident years ago.

Leo gave Harley a thumbs up and a smile. _'It'll be okay,'_ he mouthed. Could Harley even read his lips from here? They were kind of far away. But no, Harley was smart enough to understand what he meant.

Harley shook his head wildly, pointing up at the stage. His eyes looked kind of shiny, like the machines in the factories when they were polished. Was he crying? That was nice! Harley really cared about him.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and Leo looked back at them. "What's up, man?" he asked. He vaguely recognized the boy from school, Shane or something.

"Leo…" Shane mumbled, "you've been Reaped."

XXXXX

It was oppressively hot in District 4 today, and there was no comforting ocean to jump into, not here in the town square. Percy Jackson sweated, feeling like he was going for a swim in his own clothes. Why couldn't this happen later in the day?

Triton finally took hold of a piece of paper. "Mark Sherman!"

"I volunteer," Percy called out. He strode up to the stage. It would have been nice if someone else had tried to beat him and ended up going into the Games instead, but the people of District 2 knew their tribute when they saw him. He had been handpicked by the trainers, including his own father, two days ago. This was his time.

"Percy Jackson," Percy introduced himself.

Triton smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you, Percy! How do you feel today?"

"I don't know about you, Triton, but I'm feeling a bit cold."

The crowd chuckled.

"Wow, we've got a real funny guy as our tribute this year! Give it up for Percy Jackson!"

Triton went over to the next Reaping Ball and yanked out a slip, but before he could read it, a girl broke free of the crowd and sprinted up to the stage. "Clarisse La Rue!" she said. "There's no point in reading that slip. I'll be your tribute this year!"

Triton, to his credit, took this in stride. "Of course you are! Unless, of course, anyone has any objections?" When no one spoke up, he raised Percy and Clarisse's hands into the air. "Your tributes!"

XXXXX

Everyone had their nervous habits, from the rich men that owned the factories to the laborers that worked in them. Jason's was to obsessively polish his glasses when he was nervous. A lot of the time, it was counterproductive. But today, Jason's shirt was actually clean.

Jason's heart beat faster in anticipation for the Reaping. What if he had to go into the Hunger Games? Jason's family was relatively well-off, so he didn't need any tesserae, but still. Everyone had a chance of being called, and Jason had a few different slips of paper in there.

"Jason Grace!"

For a moment, everything seemed to stop. All of the noise vanished. All that Jason could hear was the pounding of his own heart. But slowly, other things started to come in. The boy next to him sighing in relief. Someone screaming (was it him?). The strong feeling that he might throw up. Shakily, Jason took a breath. He had to go to the stage. That wouldn't be so hard. He just had to take a few steps and keep himself from crying.

Miraculously, Jason made his way to the stage. There was someone sobbing behind him. Thalia, probably. Jason couldn't imagine how she must feel right now, now that her baby brother was heading into the Games and she couldn't volunteer to go in with him. (It was easier to focus on Thalia than it was to think about how his life might be through-and-through _over_ in a week.)

The escort, Notus, didn't spare him a second glance. He read off another name. "Ella Harrison!"

A tiny girl stumbled out of the 13-year-old section. She looked like she was made out of sticks, really just skin and bones. She wasn't as lucky as Jason and started crying on her way up to the stage.

"There there," Notus said blandly to her. "It'll be alright."

That didn't seem to comfort her in the least.

XXXXX

12 times 12 is 144. 13 times 12 is 156. 14 times 12 is 168…

Clovis continued carrying out the times tables in his head, carefully adding up and carrying numbers, looking at the answers scrawled on his hand to make sure that what he got was correct. He needed to stay awake to make sure he knew if he got Reaped. To stay awake, he had to keep thinking. But did that mean that to get Reaped, he had to be thinking? Would he avoid getting Reaped if he stopped thinking?

Clovis kicked himself in the ankle. He had to focus. Just a bit, and he would be able to go back to his sleepy self. Just a bit. Just a little bit, and the Reaping would be over.

15 times 12 is 180. Yes, that was right.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare!" Ora shouted.

A few murmurs passed through the crowd. Rachel Dare was the daughter of the richest man in District 6. It was insane that she was Reaped, rather than someone who needed 100 extra slips for tesserae. Still, Clovis didn't hear any screams or sobs. Rachel's parents weren't crying for her.

"Clovis Sonan!"

Vaguely, Clovis wondered if he was asleep and dreaming. Was his name just called? He looked around. His fellow 15-year-olds had located him, and seemed to be slowly edging away as if he carried a contagious disease, but maybe it was a dream and the ground was slowly moving, convulsing, like the earthquake that had hit them a few years ago…

16 times 12! 16 times 12! Clovis _had_ to stay awake. Shakily, he made his way up to the stage. 2 times 6 was 12, put down 2, carry 1. Careful, careful, don't trip. Stairs are dangerous. 16 times 12 was 192, and look! He was already at the stage.

Rachel extended her hand. Clovis took it, and they shook. Rachel forced a smile at him. There were tears in her eyes.

Clovis felt too tired to cry. All of his energy was going towards staying awake.


	2. The Reaping (Part 2)

Grover was standing next to the dividing rope between the girls' and boys' 18-year-old sections. He held the hand of his girlfriend, Juniper Bushwald. Just being in proximity with her made Grover feel better. Juniper had a kind of calming aura, one that made those around her feel comfortable. Charisma, maybe, was another name for it, but Grover thought that it was more toned down than that, as if someone had mixed charisma and hot chocolate in a bottle and let Juniper drink it.

Juniper's hand was shaking as the escort Neleus took a paper out of the girls' ball. Grover prayed silently to whatever force that there was that Juniper wouldn't be picked. Juniper was his world, and beyond that, she was one of the kindest people in District 7. She didn't deserve being condemned to death.

"Calypso Aterra!"

Juniper turned her head and made eye contact with Grover. Calypso was known around the district for both her good looks and the fact that she was an apothecary. A few hours every day, she worked in the lumberyards, but for the rest of her time, she gave out medical help to anyone who needed it, whether they were sick or hurt by the axes and equally dangerous machines. Grover could read the question in Juniper's eyes, should she volunteer? Calypso was needed around the district. Juniper wasn't. But as selfish as it was, Grover silently pled for Juniper to preserve her own life.

Calypso was on the stage, thinly smiling out at the silent crowd. "No volunteers?" Neleus asked. "Well, then. My dear, how do you feel about competing in the Hunger Games?"

Calypso shrugged.

"Well, let's move on to the boys!" Neleus shouted enthusiastically.

Grover didn't have time to consider whether he should volunteer so that he could protect Calypso, because the name that Neleus read out was his.

Juniper's hand in his went slack, and her eyes were wide. She opened her mouth in a silent scream, but her voice seemed to be completely gone. Grover gave her hand a final squeeze before making his way up to the stage.

About halfway there, Juniper began screaming. "No! NO! Someone volunteer! Someone help him!"

(Grover realized that this was his punishment for refusing to let Juniper save Calypso—him dead and her broken.)

"That your sister screaming?" Neleus asked when Grover had mounted the stage.

"My girlfriend," he said, his mouth dry.

The course of action for him was becoming clearer. He had to protect Calypso and let her come home, for the good of the whole district. Things had tradeoffs—Juniper's life for his, Calypso's life for his.

The good of the whole district versus the simple engagement ring at home under his bed, the ring that would never rest on Juniper's finger.

XXXXX

"Piper Mclean!"

Ethan was surprised. Piper was the daughter of a previous Victor, Tristan Mclean, and he hadn't thought that she would be Reaped. Her father on the stage looked surprised, horrified. Ethan took a moment to feel some happiness at the fact that one of the elite of District 8 was feeling the same pain that the rabble below felt every year when one of their own was plucked into the jaws of death. And still, the rich Piper had a better chance of winning. Her parenthood would surely garner lots of sponsors, and her father would favorite her over whatever other poor tribute happened to be Reaped.

"Ethan Nakamura!"

 _Shit._

That was him, wasn't it?

Ethan chuckled sardonically. This had always been coming, hadn't it? He needed tesserae, and the mayor had never liked him. Could the mayor have rigged the Reaping so that a member of Ethan's notorious gang, the Kronos, got Reaped? Ethan took a moment before heading to the stage to see if anyone would volunteer for him. Luke, perhaps, or Atlas, maybe Alabaster? But all of his supposedly loyal gangmates refused to volunteer.

That was fine. He hadn't expected them to anyway.

Making no secret of his glare, Ethan stalked up to the stage. He leveled his angry gaze at Piper, taking some pleasure at her flinch.

So what if he wasn't rich or trained? He knew what he needed to do to win, and had no problems with killing. He might not survive, but he would fight to the end. And he would make sure to kill his stupid, rich, district mate.

XXXXX

"If I get Reaped, will you volunteer for me?" Austin asked.

Will considered this. He liked to believe that he would have, but then again, was there truly any such thing as a good person? What made a good person, anyway? Would he only be considered someone "Good" if he volunteered? If that was true, then he was automatically a bad person since he hadn't volunteered in any of the previous years that he was Reaping age. Will opted on giving his twin brother a shrug.

Austin nodded. "Yeah. Don't."

"Let's just get this over with," Will replied. "We have the rest of the day off afterwards."

"Yeah. We can finally teach Kayla how to play guitar."

The twins smiled at each other. Their younger sister, Kayla, had been begging them to teach her how to play guitar for months. Their family was blessed in that they had scrounged up enough money to buy the old thing, and Austin and Will had used all of their free time figuring out how to play it. Friends and family often came over in the evenings or on Reaping days to listen to them play. Will's family wasn't rich by any standards, but they led a happy life with their music.

"Lou Ellen Lerner!"

No! Will knew Lou Ellen, and she was a nice girl. They weren't close, but Will considered her a good friend. She was kind and funny and used an old card deck for magic tricks. Will didn't want her to die.

Austin, too, looked upset. He and Lou had gone out once. While they didn't hold any romantic feelings for each other anymore, they were close, and Will could tell that Austin felt horrible.

"You must be Lou Ellen. What a pretty name!" the escort, Hattie, said. "Is there anything you'd like to say to your lovely friends and family?"

Lou looked at the sea of faces for a few moments. _What was she thinking?_ Will wondered. Was she afraid? Excited? Or was she really, as she looked, completely nonchalant?

"The hand is quicker than the eye," Lou said.

A few beats of silence. Then, Austin started clapping. "Yeah, Lou!" he shouted. "You got this!"

The clapping caught on, and soon, the entire District 9 was cheering on their girl. "LOU! LOU! LOU!"

"Wonderful!" Hattie exclaimed. "You know, they say things about the districts being horrible, but you really are nice people!" She picked out another slip of paper. "And now, for our boy! WILL SOLACE!"

Austin went silent. Will's eyes widened, and he stared in horror at his brother.

XXXXX

"FRANK ZHANG!"

The square in 10 was completely silent. Frank felt sick. This was his second-to-last Reaping year. He had almost been safe. There was so much that he had wanted to do with his life afterwards! Find his father, own his own ranch, maybe confess his feelings to Hazel…now, none of that would ever happen!

No one said the insane words that would have meant that his life wouldn't be over. Frank made his way up to the stage. He could feel gazes burning into his back, and imagined Grandmother glaring up at him. _'Do you want to cry, Fai?'_ she would say. _'I should hope that you don't. You are already enough of a disgrace to our family.'_

Frank almost smiled at the idea. Even now, knowing that her grandson might die, Grandmother would stay composed and cold. She wouldn't let any little things like, you know, death, get in the way of insulting her grandson. Grandmother wasn't that weak.

Frank wasn't weak, either. Once on the stage, he refused to look in Grandmother's direction. Instead, his eyes sought out Hazel's. He found her towards the edge of the 15-year-olds, somewhat isolated. Frank didn't understand why the teens, and really all the people in District 10, were so unaccepting of Hazel, just because her mother was eccentric. Then again, they disliked him just because Grandmother was too strong-willed and hotheaded for them.

Hazel looked like she was fighting back tears. Frank would have wished her strength for the coming weeks, but he was too busy wishing and praying that she wouldn't be picked.

"HAZEL LEVESQUE!"

 _Nononononono_

Hazel couldn't come into the Games with him!

Because for every dream Frank had, Hazel had one to match. She wanted to find a cure for her mother and find her father. She wanted to live happily on her own ranch with her horse Arion and Frank beside her. She wanted to learn about art.

Furthermore, Frank couldn't go in with Hazel. They were friends. Frank couldn't imagine having her die, knowing that they were miles away from each other. Or worse, what if they had to kill each other? Frank couldn't do that. He just couldn't.

But somehow, Hazel didn't look as horrified as he felt. In fact, she looked okay. Well, she always looked more than okay, but now, she didn't look scared.

In fact, she looked like she had a plan.

XXXXX

With 28 tesserae and a stolen wallet burning in his pocket, Connor Stoll could have been having a better day. Sure, other people had much more tesserae and hadn't stole anything, but Connor still had a good chance of being picked. And then there was the matter that someone else in the square was now missing their wallet, and might actively be looking for the thief that took it.

"Hello, District 11!" Pomona said. "Is everyone ready for this year's Hunger Games?"

Connor thought that Pomona was pretty pathetic. What did she expect, anyway? Wild cheers like they might get in the Capitol? This was a district, genius.

"Oh, no," Travis muttered.

Connor looked at his older brother questioningly. Travis gestured at an angry-looking man in the adults area in the back of the square.

"How do you know he wants us?" Connor asked.

"I don't," Travis replied. "I just have a feeling."

"You and your famous feelings."

"I'm sure that we'll have two wonderful tributes!" Pomona continued.

"THERE!"

"Shit!" Travis cursed. The man was pointing at them.

"Are you sure that's the guy we stole from?" Connor asked.

"Yes!"

"Are you really sure?"

"Yes!"

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes, Connor!"

"Well then. We're in deep trouble."

"Your boy today is Connor Stoll!"

Connor and Travis stared at each other. "Did she just…" Connor asked.

"Yeah."

"Travis…"

Connor wasn't sure what he was going to say. Volunteer for me? Charge the Peacekeepers and help me escape? Despite Travis being his protective older brother, there was nothing that he could do in this case.

"Connor, get up there," Travis demanded. "Go!"

Why was Travis doing this? Was he really willing to sacrifice his own brother for his own safety? Sure, Connor had been the one who had stolen from this particular man, but that didn't mean that Travis had to push him into going up there! Why wouldn't he volunteer?

Connor hurried up to the stage. The angry man, at least, wouldn't be very happy. "I'm Connor Stoll," he told Pomona.

"That's great, Connor! How are you—"

"Yeah, yeah," Connor said. "Let's get on with it, okay?"

Pomona looked surprised. "Yeah, um…sure! But we still have to ask for volunteers…"

"No point," Connor said dully. It came to him that he might have been in shock. That explained the numb feeling.

Pomona continued with her ceremony. "Let's see…Miranda Gardner!"

Miranda was young, black-haired, kind of good looking. She shakily made her way up to the stage. "Nice to meet you, Miranda! I'm sure that you're excited to be competing, but don't get your hopes up yet. Any volunteers?"

"I volunteer!"

Blood buzzed in Connor's ears. This girl right here, she had someone who cared about her enough to volunteer. And Connor's own brother, his protector, the person he had put all of his faith in, he refused to help! This was what was wrong with the world.

An angry-looking girl stepped onto the stage. Her hair was lighter than Miranda's, but from what Connor could tell, their eyes were both green. Sisters, maybe? If that was the case, then they had a much better relationship than he and his brother shared.

"Katie Gardner," she barked. She flicked her head toward the audience. "Miranda, get down."

"Katie—" Miranda started.

"No. Get down."

Miranda left the stage. Smart, Connor wouldn't have wanted to mess with that girl.

Katie glared at him as she thrust her hand out. "Shake," she ordered.

Connor took her hand.

XXXXX

"Phoebe Tanner!"

Phoebe made her way to the stage. Nico vaguely recognized the face. She was one of his sister Bianca's friends. He hadn't had contact with her in years. Now she was going off to her death.

"Any volunteers?" The escort Persephone asked.

"I volunteer!"

Nico recognized the girl who volunteered—her haughty expression, her dark hair, her pale skin. He recognized her and felt fury because this was the girl who had killed his sister.

Bianca would have been alive today if it weren't for this girl walking up to the stage like she was a survivor, like she didn't need to worry about death, like she hadn't a care in the world.

This girl was the reason that his entire life had been upended and destroyed.

Nico knew what he had to do.

Before Persephone even read off the name of the male tribute, Nico took the chance. "I volunteer!"

Nico strode towards the stage. "I'm Nico di Angelo."

Maybe he wasn't going to win. But it would all be worth it just to have a chance to kill the girl in front of him.

Zoe Nightshade.


	3. Train Rides (Part 1)

Castor wasn't the worst-looking guy, that was for sure. But he was too quiet. Not that Nancy minded the quiet, but it was kind of unnerving. The quiet ones were always the crazies, and Nancy could do without some crazies ruining her whole Hunger Games experience.

That said, Nancy never was one to shy away from starting a conversation. "So, are you, like, an Avox or something?"

Castor looked up at her. He had purple eyes, Nancy realized. Strange. Did those come naturally?

"What?" Castor asked.

 _Aw. How sweet._ "You must have been very sheltered. Do you even know what an Avox is?"

Castor didn't answer, so Nancy answered for him. "It's a criminal, Cassie. Someone who got their tongue ripped out by the Capitol."

Castor swallowed.

"Nervous?" Nancy asked. "Well, I guess you should be."

"Why?" Castor asked. "We both volunteered, didn't we?"

"Because I'm going to win," Nancy smiled at him. "You were an idiot to even _think_ about _thinking about_ volunteering."

"Yeah?" Castor said. "I think that I might have to bring that idea down."

Nancy stood up, grinning down at Castor in what she hoped was an unnerving way. "No, you won't be able to. You're a dead man walking, Castor Bordeax! A dead man!"

She charged Castor, hoping to wrap her hands around his throat. Take one out before the Games started, wouldn't that be smart?

But then she was pulled back by someone—Tantalus, the mentor. "Nancy, save it for the Arena!" he shouted.

 _Save it for the Arena. Save it for the Arena._

XXXXX

"So, is it just Reyna?" Octavian asked her.

Interesting. Was there any way that he knew about her family? It was a lucky guess, if he was trying to annoy her. But then again, he might just have been a nosy guy.

Reyna didn't think so, though. There were nasty things said about Octavian: he was a liar and a cheat, a manipulator of the highest degree. Reyna's trainers had warned her about all possible threats in the District before letting her volunteer, and Octavian's vocal skills had been one of them.

She couldn't let this guy get into her head. She was obviously stronger than him. He had no power over her if she just refused to let him take control of her mind.

"Yes. Just Reyna," Reyna replied. She kept the words even and clipped, trying to express that he had no chance of getting into her head.

"I'm Octavian."

"I know."

Octavian met her steady gaze. Reyna stared back. She had a feeling that if she looked away now, it would be a show of submissance. She couldn't let him win.

Finally, Octavian smiled. "Careers?"

Really? That was it? Did Octavian think that she was worthy of being his ally? Or had he judged her as being weak, easy to kill?

Reyna nodded once, pulling one corner of her mouth into a small smile. "Careers."

XXXXX

If there was any person who was completely _useless_ to Annabeth as an ally once the Games began, it would be her district partner Leo Valdez.

That theory had reared its ugly head at the Reaping itself, when Leo seemed to not actually have been paying attention and had to be reminded that he had been Reaped. On the other hand, Leo's ADD tendencies could benefit her in the Games.

Annabeth ran her fingers through her hair. No. She couldn't start thinking like this! She had to try and retain a bit of herself. She wasn't a killer. Well, she'd do what she'd have to do, but she wouldn't start planning how to kill people! Premeditated murder was first-degree. Spur-of-the-moment wasn't as serious in a court of law.

"So…you're Annie Bell?" Leo asked her.

 _Seriously?_ "It's Annabeth," she said. It came out as more of an angry growl.

"Wow. You sound annoyed," Leo said. _This kid doesn't know when to shut up._

"Yeah. You kind of got my name wrong."

"I guess I can see why that would make you angry."

 _'Just go make yourself some dinner, Annie!' her father shouted._

"I'm sure that you can."

Leo smiled. "I had some of this brown stuff earlier. It was awesome."

 _What? That was an abrupt change of subject…_

"Oh yeah? And what was this brown stuff?"

"Coffee, or something. It gives me energy."

 _Coffee? Shit!_ Annabeth had had some years before, and the head rush it gave her was awful. She hadn't been able to sleep for a day. And it had tasted horrible, too.

"But it tasted gross, so I put in sugar. Do you want some?"

"Leo, how much sugar is in there?!"

"I don't know. A lot. It tastes good now."

"It looks like sludge!"

"I _said_ that there was a lot of sugar in it."

Annabeth surpressed a sigh. It was going to be a long ride.

XXXXX

Jackson kid: annoying.

Sherman the mentor: why did he need so much booze, anyway?

Delphin the other mentor: too perky.

Triton the escort: What an asshole.

Capitol attendants Numbers 1 and 2: Clarisse could probably tear them in half with her bare hands, or something.

Yes, there was no doubt about it, she was the strongest person on this train.

Clarisse rolled her token around in her hand. It was a small glass bead that Silena had given her. It was small enough to fit in her pocket, and would definitely make it past inspection. She wondered what Jackson had as a token. Probably something horribly sentimental and big that would never get cleared.

Triton began speaking. "So, it'll be an overnight ride to the Capitol, and then you'll begin the styling process."

"Wait, what?" Clarisse interrupted. "Styling?"

"Yes, styling, Clarisse!" Triton sounded annoyed. "So that you don't look like a complete savage during the chariot rides."

Clarisse grunted, shrugging. She didn't care what happened as long as the stylists weren't annoying.

"After that," Triton continued, "you have three days of training, interviews, and then the Games begin!"

"I wish we didn't have to go through the training," Clarisse said. "I don't need it."

"Some other people might," Jackson said.

"Yeah—some little pathetic district kids! We don't. We might as well not go."

"The training is to give everyone an equal chance!"

Her district partner was an overly moral little ass. "Is that what you want? Everyone with an equal chance? What are you, some kind of rebel?"

"No, I'm just saying that maybe the Games shouldn't be a complete slaughter of the kids from lower districts! That wouldn't be fair!"

God, what a little punk.

XXXXX

 _Capitol trains can go above 200 miles per hour. It is 327 miles from the District 5 square to the outer Capitol. However, tribute trains may not travel at full speed, opting to go much slower. The reason for this is that it is preferred to give tributes time to talk about the Games before reaching the wonders and temptations of the Capitol. Tribute Protocol, by Anna King, page 56._

"Is discussion of the Games warranted?" Ella asked, addressing everyone in the room.

Which…was only the blonde boy, as it turned out. He looked surprised to see her talking. "Um, sure. What do you want to talk about?"

Ella considered this. She hadn't actually prepared any talking points, nor a lecture or any visual aids (Teacher's Handbook, page 100). But there were things that she knew about. "The Bloodbath."

"What about the Bloodbath, Ella?"

"Ella does not want to die in the Bloodbath. Death is bad for people. Bad, bad, bad."

The blonde looked slightly perturbed. "Well, neither do I, really."

Happy with this piece of information, Ella stopped talking.

A few minutes later, though, Jason spoke up. "Have you had any food yet?"

"Ella has not eaten."

"You should eat something, though. I think we should be eating as much as possible before the Games start. They're called the Hunger Games for a reason."

"Yes. The Hunger Games were started and named to remind the districts of the hunger that the Capitol faced during the war and the hunger that the districts face now as a result of their misdeeds. However, sometimes it is a misnomer, as many tributes find ways to eat well inside of the Arena. Hunger Games History, page 12."

The boy did look surprised now. "Ella, did you just quote all of that from a book?"

"Yes."

"But—that's amazing! You've got a real talent."

Ella's face felt a bit hot. She looked down. (Blushes are a sign of embarrassment as well as a perceived affinity towards a person, Social Psychology, page 236.) No one had ever called her talented before.

"Ella likes words."

Jason (Jason was an hero of an ancient society, the Greeks, Mythology, page 411) smiled. "Well, okay. I guess…Jason likes words, too! But not as much as Ella likes them."

"Ella likes words. Words are good. Dying is bad. Ella likes Jason, too."

XXXXX

The train, moving along at a fast pace, had long ago left behind the town square in District 6. It had passed out of Rachel's home district not too long after that. Then, they had traveled through a part of 8, lights of factories and cities and humans shining on far off in the distance. Rachel imagined painting that. What would it look like? Just a black canvas with white dots on it? But that seemed so wasteful, so much of an underplayment of what it meant to be observing the affects of urban life. Rachel would have put slightly lighter shades of black on it, too, to show the buildings.

After that, the escort Ora had informed Rachel and Clovis that they were passing through a part of District 5. All of 5 seemed heavily industrialized. There were factories all around, big and small. Rachel tried to think about what it would have been like to work in one of those factories. 6 had its fair share of factories, but Rachel never had had to work in one of them. The perks of being the richest girl in the district.

They had left 5 behind and moved on through 10. Rachel liked 10 best. The area that they rode through seemed completely empty, save for the rolling prairie and the tall grasses the swayed in the wind and seemed surprised and taken aback at the unexpected speed of the train. They were moving through 10 now. Rachel kept her face pressed to the window. Ora had told her to go to sleep, but Rachel couldn't. Not when there was a whole world out there, a world that she would never get another chance to see. Rachel needed to take in the sights while she still could.

Rachel didn't think that she would ever get tired of drinking in the sight of all the open space. It was beautiful to start running, to keep running, to know that you could keep going forever and never stop! The stars, too, twinkling in their indigo carpet, looked happy. Rachel imagined them smiling down on her.

Her district partner, Clovis, was probably asleep by now. The poor boy looked like he couldn't stay awake back when they were rewatching the Reapings and discussing basic strategy. He had almost fallen asleep into his soup, but fortunately, that disaster had been averted.

Rachel knew that she should probably have been thinking about how to survive in the Games, but she just couldn't. There would be time for that later. Now was for watching the slight hills wave by, for pretending that she was completely alone in the land of District 10, dancing, sleeping, lying down and watching the stars go to sleep as the light of the morning overtook them.

Now couldn't be about considering her impeding death and wondering if this was some kind of karma: her father had been rich and she had been priveledged, so she became the sacrifice of her district for the year.

Now was not in any way about wondering if the people in her district were celebrating her impeding death.

No, now was for the stars.


	4. Train Rides (Part 2)

"Calypso."

Her district partner was talking to her, trying to get her attention.

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to tell you…well, I really admire what you do for the district."

Calypso smiled at him. "Thanks, Grover. It's nice to know that I'm appreciated."

Calypso ran an apothecary for the big city in District 7. In the city, lumber was packaged and cut into paper in factories. The factories were dangerous, and in addition to cutting people up, could give people lung disease with all of the dangerous smog that was in there. Calypso's mother, Tethys Aterra, had taught her all about healing, medicine, and using physical procedures to help people. Calypso had known that it was her duty to her district to try and help counter some of the disasters the were wreaked by the dangerous working conditions. If someone was suffering from a lung disease, then she would make them a temporary cure and teach them how to counter that using physical exercises. If someone lost a hand, then Calypso cauterized it, bandaged it, kept it clean, and tried to teach the person how to live with one hand. If someone was sick, then Calypso cured it. She wanted to be able to go up to the lumber-cutting areas and help people there, but there wasn't the time or the money for it.

The first few years had been hard, but it had been worth it just to help people. Calypso had been raised in a relatively well-to-do family, and it just didn't seem fair that people in other places starved. Calypso couldn't end the Hunger Games or make a minimum wage, but she knew that she would do whatever she could to help out her people.

Some people couldn't pay, but everyone was kind. They brought her extra food sometimes, or gave her money when they could. They let her stay in their house. They made sure that she knew how appreciated she was. Really, that was the only payment she needed. She took out tesserae and gathered plants from the outskirts of the woods. It could have led to her demise, but Calypso didn't care. She wasn't afraid of dying. She was afraid of leaving behind the needy in her district. Doing illegal things and submitting her name to the Reaping was a gamble that she had been willing to take.

Until now.

Now she was going into the Hunger Games.

She couldn't hope to kill anyone. She was going to die! How was that at all beneficial to her people?

Grover was talking again. "I just wanted to let you know…when those Games start, I've got your back."

What did that mean? Was he stupid or selfless enough to sacrifice his own life for hers?

"Thanks, Grover," she replied. "But you should worry about yourself. You've got that girlfriend and I can take care of myself."

"I know," Grover said, and Calypso was surprised by the sudden intensity of his expression. "But Calypso, you've got to make it home. They need you back there, and you deserve to live. So I'm gonna help you."

"Grover, please don't."

"I'm going to help you, Calypso." Grover smiled. "You just got yourself an ally."

XXXXX

Piper's district partner was really glarey. He seemed to hate her. Piper wasn't sure why, as she couldn't recall ever meeting him.

He also had one eye. Piper was trying to look past that because what was on the inside really mattered, but he had made it kind of hard by staring straight at her with an angry face, and constantly adjusting his eyepatch like he _wanted_ her to notice.

This could have been passed off as a crush or something, but Piper knew a lot about how people worked. This look was pure hate. Piper was kind of uncomfortable with being stuck in the same room alone. She had a feeling that he would gladly rip out her throat if he felt like he wouldn't get caught.

Piper fingered the material of her dress, trying not to cry. She focused on the violet color, thinking about how pretty it was and how it looked like those flowers that Dad brought home one day when she was eight. She couldn't afford to break down into tears, not now. Piper wasn't about to disgrace herself in front of her district partner. Plus, Piper was just generally stronger than that! She prided herself on being a tomboy, being rough and tough, not crying at anything. The Hunger Games didn't change that.

Except, god, they did! They changed everything, because Piper was probably going to die! Dad had taught her survival techniques, but those weren't going to be any good against a big Career who had been training for years and practiced with a sword daily!

The door opened, and Dad, the other mentor Drew, and Medea the escort entered. "We're going to watch the Reapings now," Medea told them. "Make sure to pay attention. This is your competition."

Piper tried to put all of her focus on the screen, but there was a lot of blind terror and yes, denial, in her that made her want to run away screaming so that she could keep pretending that she had a chance.

There were two volunteers from 1. The girl from 2 volunteered, the boy was Reaped. The boy from 3 didn't realize that he was Reaped and had to be told so by someone else (poor guy). 4 was two volunteers. The guy from 5 looked strong, the girl was tiny and shouldn't have been in these Games. The girl from 6's hair was really red. 7's were average, but could have been strong.

8 was them. Piper was proud of how her performance had gone. She didn't look awful, really. She was a bit stiff but from a certain viewpoint, you could call her strong and beautiful. Ethan looked as angry as he did now when he was Reaped.

The girl from 9 got her whole district to cheer for her, but the cheers stopped when her district partner stepped up. They looked like they knew each other. The two from 10 were the same. They seemed familiar with each other and horrified that they were going into the Games together.

From 11, there was a volunteer. A volunteer! Okay, it was the Reaped tribute's sister, but still! No one volunteered from the lower districts! From 12, there were two more volunteers! The girl looked strong and there was something scary about the young boy. They were threats, Piper knew it.

So the competition could have been worse, but it could have been a whole lot better. Piper was doomed.

XXXXX

"Is this your card?" Lou Ellen asked.

"How are you so good at this?" Will practically exploded. "I was watching you this time! I didn't see you switch around any cards!"

"Practice makes perfect," Lou reminded him.

It was nice to be back around Will. After she and Austin had broken up, they had stopped spending so much time together. And then there was the fact that she was a year younger than him…they just hadn't found any time to spend together.

But now, they were talking and chatting like there had never been any divide. Just like old times. Lou had to admit, it was great to have Will back as a friend! But why did it have to be the Hunger Games that brought them back together?

Will and Lou were in Lou's room. She had been crying in there. Lou knew that she might die. What was the point of pretending that everything was going to be okay? But still, the thoughts of leaving behind her daddy, her sisters and brother, her friends and the people that she knew on the street, was just so awful! And then there was the thought of death itself. Of being entirely unseeing, unfeeling, unbreathing. To be laid to rest in the earth—but then, it wasn't rest. It was just called rest to make the living feel better about burying the dead. The dead weren't sleeping. They were gone. Simply gone.

Would it hurt much?

Will had heard her crying and insisted on cheering her up. They had gone down to the food car (an entire room just for food!) and gotten some pastries. Lou hadn't even heard of half the stuff there. They had gotten a tray and loaded it up with anything that had sugar in it. Lou was nibbling on something called an 'éclair', which was absolutely amazing. Will had also asked an attendant for a deck of cards, and she was practicing some of her old tricks.

"I wonder if any of this is going to be useful during the Games," Lou admitted.

"I bet that it can be."

"But how?"

Will shrugged. "It means that you're talented and that you can work quickly."

Lou laughed. "That's the best real-world translation of my magic tricks that I've ever heard. My sister Naomi always said that I'd never get anywhere with my cheap parlor tricks."

"Considering that there's only one family in District 10 with a parlor…"

"Oh, shut up, Will!" Lou laughed.

Will shrugged. "I'm sorry. I'm still bitter over the fact that you totally cheated with that trick."

"How could I have cheated? It's called a trick for a reason!"

"I don't know! You must have had a deck full of the three of hearts!"

"Look into my eyes, Will!" Lou opened her dark green eyes wide and stared at Will, trying to creep him out. "I didn't cheat!"

"Yes, you totally did!" Will said. He opened his light blue eyes to counter hers. "Look into my eyes, Lou. I know you cheated because I'm a robot that can detect lies."

Lou burst into laughter. "I'm sure that you are, Will. And I'm the President."

God, she had missed this! She had missed the banter that she could exchange with the Solaces that she couldn't get at home. She missed Will's easygoing nature. She had missed her friend.

XXXXX

Hazel looked out of the window in the last car in the train, watching District 10 recede behind them. She tried to imagine Arion chasing them, catching up. She imagined jumping onto Arion with Frank and riding away.

She really just wanted to see her poor horse one last time. Who would take care of him now that she was going to the Capitol? Her mother certainly wouldn't. She was too caught up in her own world, trying to outsmart the gods with crazy magic. Maybe Frank's grandmother would stop by to feed her horse. She could see the old woman and Arion forming some kind of weird kinship. Hell, it wasn't like the horse even needed someone to take care of him. He could survive on his own. Hazel just wanted to make sure that he had a friend left.

Maybe it was selfish of her, but she was glad that she still had a friend while going to the Capitol. No, strike that. The fact that she was glad to have Frank here made her a terrible person, but Hazel couldn't hate herself as much as she should have. Having Frank always made things better.

Frank smiled at her, and her heart started beating faster. She looked away. She had to stop! One or both of them were going to be dead by the end of this. She ha to concentrate.

But she didn't want to. She wanted to admit to Frank that she had a crush on him, even if it was stupid. She at least wanted the comfort of letting her best friend know what he meant to her.

But she didn't. She kept her mouth shut.

"Hazel, do you have a plan?" Frank asked.

Of course she had a plan. A badly formed plan, one that might get them killed, but a plan.

"Frank, our friendship might be seen as a disadvantage, but we can use it for our favor."

"I'm listening."

"We know each other. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses and we trust each other."

"That's true. So you're saying that we should be an alliance?"

"Among other things." The more Hazel thought about it, the more her plan didn't seem so awful.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Frank. Red rushed to Hazel's cheeks, and she was glad that the combination of the lighting and her skin made it hard for Frank to tell that she was blushing.

"We know how to survive. I'm good with animals. You've got good aim. We can use those things—"

"Wait," Frank interrupted. "I've got good aim with a gun, and maybe a crossbow. But they don't have guns in the Games!"

"So you practice with a bow and crossbow. We get average scores and get some sponsors. We don't go into the Bloodbath. We run away and trust ourselves and our abilities to help us."

"We work from there and make it home."

"Exactly."

Frank and Hazel made eye contact. Hazel knew that a lot could go wrong with this. But still, it felt good to have a plan and know that Frank was by her side. She believed that with him, they could make it to the end.

The only problem was what would happen once they got there.

XXXXX

"So, do you work in the orchards?" Connor asked her once Pomona, and Luke and Rose (the mentors) were done talking.

"Yeah. And you do something illegal?"

Connor choked on his drink. After a bought of coughing, he was back in commission. "How do you know about that?!"

"Large angry man charging you in the square today," Katie reminded him.

"Oh, yeah! Well, the thing is, I kind of stole his wallet…"

Katie looked furious. "You _stole_ from him? What kind of person are you? That's unfair and immoral!"

To Katie's fury, Connor looked nonchalant still. "Well, I kind of needed the money…"

"So work for it just like everyone else! What gives you the right to disobey the law? Someone could have gotten hurt!"

"I almost did."

 _Well that was your fault, wasn't it?_ What an idiot! Katie couldn't believe that she had gotten partnered up with a their and a jerk for her time in the Games! Katie knew better than to steal, and more than that, she knew that stealing was wrong. Katie knew what her morals were, even if this stupid boy didn't. Saving her sister's life was right. Stealing was wrong.

"Look at it this way," Connor said, "if you were starving, wouldn't you steal food?"

Katie was taken aback by this. "Well, maybe, but…no! I would find the right way to get food! And you didn't _need_ that money, did you?"

"We might have needed it later!"

"So you didn't need it!"

"No!"

"What's wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with _you?_ What's your big problem with stealing?"

Katie had a feeling that her face was embarrassingly red by now. When she spoke, her voice was shrill. "It's wrong, that's my problem!"

"Is that it? Or is there some big sob story behind it?"

"I don't need a sob story to know right from wrong!"

(And still, memories came to her of those mean boys stealing the hair brush she had bought for Miranda's birthday.)

"I did what I have to do!" Connor insisted.

"I'm going to bed," said Katie.

XXXXX

Zoe knew the poor boy who had volunteered alongside her. She had to admit, volunteering was an act of bravery unprecedented in the stupid men of her district, really men anywhere. The volunteers from the lower district did so for glory, not to save a life.

But really, did it have to be this boy? His older sister and she had been friends, and Zoe did not want to have to kill him. He had taken on the death of his sister like a woman would have, and that alone was impressive. And Zoe did not want to admit it, but she would regret killing the young boy who had ran ahead of she and Bianca as they walked through the woods.

That said, Nico di Angelo was not the same boy that she remembered. He looked angry, murderous. Time had jaded him, perhaps, or maybe he was angry at her for some reason. One could not guess the ways of men. They were all angry, all impulsive, all pigs. Zoe could not change that.

"Oh, boy," the escort Persephone muttered. "What a great trip. We're all just going to have fun here, making angry faces at each other."

Zoe tried not to hate her fellow women, but Persephone was a warranted exception. She was annoying, sarcastic, and had changed her skin so that it was green. Zoe could not enjoy the company of a person so obviously capitolized.

"I am sorry that we do not live up to your expectations of happy tributes," Zoe said.

Persephone looked up from her nails. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"It would be obvious to any intelligent person with a good sense of hearing that I did just say something," Zoe replied.

"Well, aren't you a rude little thing?"

"I do not believe that _I_ am the rude one here."

"Is that so? Just remember that I'm the one with the power here, kid. Don't make me mad."

"I did not seek to do so?"

"Really? Does being an insufferable little bitch just come naturally to you, then?"

There it was. That word. Zoe hated that word beyond description. It was derogatory towards her whole gender and only used by the worst of people, the ones who wanted to tear her down and then use her for their own twisted purposes. Zoe stood up and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her so hard that it shook.

Nico remained silent.


	5. Chariots

Castor wasn't too fussed about his chariot costume. The stylists had done some shaving and tanning and then put in in a shirt and pants that seemed to be made out of coins, representing the luxury in their district. It could have been worse. It could have been so much worse. Pollux had warned him that he would be humiliated and treated like a dog if he went to the Capitol, but so far, things had been nice.

Nancy was happy with her costume. She looked _great_ in her dress made out of gold and silver coins. The stylists had also fixed her teeth. They gave her some makeup but left her freckles there. They had tamed her hair, too. She didn't look like a warrior at all, in fact she looked like an innocent little girl, but Nancy could deal with this costume.

Octavian observed the tributes from 1 and 4, knowing that they would be his allies in the Games, and therefore the people he needed to worry about bringing down. 1 was unremarkable. The boy looked boring, but had strange purple eyes that he had seen somewhere…the girl had red hair, and there was something about her smile that was slightly unnerving. All in all, Octavian thought that so far, these tribute would prove easy to destroy.

Reyna was annoyed that she and Octavian had been dressed in matching armor with matching purple capes, but the costumes could have been worse. She scanned the tributes behind her to see if there were any people outside of District 4 that she should invite into the alliance.

Annabeth and Leo wore outfits made out of gears that moved around and fit together. Leo hadn't quite recovered from his stunt with the coffee, and his mouth was moving at a mile per minute. His hands, too, were crazily tapping on the chariot edge. Spontaneous combustion seemed like more and more of a threat. Annabeth wondered if she should have brought some form of sedative with her just in case Leo needed it.

"Wow, I wish that Harley could see this!" Leo said loudly. He really did. The gears reminded him of the insides of a car, or the machines back in 3. It was amazing to be wearing them! All clothes should be like this!

"He will," Annabeth reminded him. "Everyone watches the opening ceremonies."

"Oh yeah!"

Percy couldn't help but overhear the conversation that District 3 was having. _Who's Harley?_ He wondered. Was it a friend, perhaps a younger brother? The thought of brothers turned him away from the hyper boy and pretty girl and to thoughts of Tyson, his own younger brother. Percy hoped that Tyson would be proud of him, or at least get a kick out of the mermaid costume that he was wearing. Probably the best thing that he could hope for now was for the audience to think that he and Clarisse were hilarious, since they looked so ridiculous.

Clarisse felt murderous. She had been hoping to look like a warrior or a fighter, not showcased as a laughingstock wearing a mermaid costume! Maybe it would have looked fine on another girl, but not her! It wasn't fair of the stylists to humiliate her like this! No one would sponsor her now!

Jason wondered if anyone in the audience would realize what he was supposed to be. He was dressed in all white, with a spinning windmill top on his head. How many Capitolites would know what a windmill was? Was that taught about here in the Capitol? Everyone back in 5 knew about windmills, but where else was that common knowledge? Probably 3. Jason decided that he would try to get an ally from 3. It would be easiest, since they shared knowledge. It was almost like they were related. Almost.

 _Solar power is a technique of capturing energy provided by the sun and then converting it into a usable form of electricity. District 5 classroom book, page 457._ Ella was dressed as a solar panel. Ella felt like folding in on herself. She was about to go before the entire nation. Was she brave enough? They would all laugh at her! Well, not Jason. _Ella likes Jason. Jason is nice. Ella likes cinnamon rolls, too._

The bright lights backstage and the excitement of the day had nearly put Clovis to sleep. Even now, he felt as if he might pass out on the chariot. That would be embarrassing, wouldn't it? To fall out of the chariot on opening night? 13 times 17 is 221. Clovis tried to check the answer on his hand, before remembering that the stylists had refused to let him put the ink on himself.

Rachel carefully tried to catalogue every detail of the moment: the costume she was wearing that had one wing of an airplane on it and would look like a full airplane when she stood next to Clovis, the lights backstage, the way that her hair fell to her mid-back, completely straight, the way her heart was pounding with excitement…she didn't want to miss anything before she died.

Grover was dressed as a lumberjack, plastic axe and everything. He didn't look too bad. The stylists had trimmed his goatee and curly hair, but he looked okay once the changes had been made. Would Juniper still recognize him? Grover hefted the axe over his shoulder, wondering if he would be using a real axe to kill real people in a few days.

Calypso was dressed as a tree. It could have been a lot worse. She wasn't sure what to do to get sponsors, though. How would she wave at them or get them to like her if she looked like a tree? The little girl from 5 or 6 was looking around. She caught Calypso's eye. Calypso smiled at her, trying to make her feel at ease. Suddenly, Calypso became aware of the beautiful girl from 2 staring at her. Calypso looked away.

Ethan ripped off his eyepatch and made a fist around it. _Screw_ what the stylist wanted, talking about how his eye was hideous and all that. These people watched children die every year and placed bets on it! They probably drank blood with every meal! They could afford the sight of his oh-so-disgusting eye! Piper looked at him like she was worried. He intensified his glare at her. _Fuck_ that girl. He hoped that she died as soon as the gong rang out.

Piper tried to observe the people around her. The boy in the chariot ahead, dressed as a lumberjack, looked strong. The boy behind her looked weedy, but he was smiling and talking with his district partner—she had been right, they did know each other. Piper was obviously the best-dressed person in the vicinity. District 8 had the advantage there. Their costumes could be anything with fabric rather than something themed to match the district. Piper was at least blessed in that regard.

Will felt sick. He and Lou were dressed like wheat, but that wasn't his main problem. All of the time that he was spending with Lou just meant that he remembered how amazing she was, and how great it was being her friend. And yet, one of them had to die. Would he be the one that extinguished the flame of Lou's life? Was he a good person or not?

The wheat costumes were boring, in Lou's opinion. If she was in charge, she would have made the sleeves spit flames when she raised her arms. Or she would have had some other cool affect like that. She and Will were never going to get noticed this way. Lou noticed that Will looked worried. Was he thinking about the same thing that she was? She squeezed his hand.

Frank hated his cow costume. It made him feel even more large and bumbling than he already was. He knew that he didn't have the best shape, and while it bothered him, it wasn't a big problem in his mind. Still, this costume made him feel like all of his insecurities were on display for the whole world to see and laugh at. Hazel smiled at him. "Just a little while, and it'll be over."

"We'll be immortalized in everyone's memories."

"Seriously, we should try to get some sponsors for this to stick with the plan."

Hazel was beginning to doubt the soundness of her plan. Without supplies from the Cornucopia, they were on their own. They could live off the land, but they needed a good backup plan. That backup plan was lots of sponsors, but what if they couldn't get sponsors? A lot could go wrong.

Connor wondered how hard it would have been to steal some of the coins off of the District 1 boy's shirt. Not that he needed any money of course, not here, but just to see what would happen. It could be fun! Still, Katie would probably give him another lecture, and that would suck. He still wasn't sure what her big problem with stealing was. Did it make him the best person? No. But in the grand scheme of things, what was the big deal?

Katie felt self-concious dressed as a giant apple. She knew that out of all the girls here, she was probably the ugliest—well, except for the 13-year-old from 5, but she didn't count. _Snap out of it, Katie,_ she told herself. This wasn't about feeling pretty. This was about survival. If she could make it through day in the orchards, then of course she could survive a dumb costume! She had to play smart. Whatever happened, it would be worth it as long as her sister was safe at home. _This is for you, Miranda._

Nico didn't want to stand next to Zoe until he absolutely had to, so he stayed crouched in the shadows next to their chariot. He eyed the long line of tributes in front of him. The pair from 10 were talking, looking somber. The girl from 11 looked annoyed. Nico closed his eyes and tried to tune out the noise, imagining that he was having a quiet moment back home.

Zoe was not sure why Nico looked like he was trying to sleep on the ground rather than preparing for the chariot rides like everyone else was. Then again, one could not explain the strangeness of men. Zoe instead focused on her coal miner's outfit. It was relatively covering, something that Zoe was grateful for. People here in the Capitol could be such pigs sometimes…

Suddenly, the doors opened an the announcer's voice came, loud and clear. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the chariot rides!" District 1 rolled out of the door, and the week before the Games started ticking down...


	6. Training Day 1

Reyna walked up to the pair from 4, Percy and Clarisse. "I'd like to talk to you at the sword station." If Octavian was actually following her orders, then he'd be telling the pair from 1 the same thing.

District 4, at least, seemed compliant. They followed her to the sword station. It reminded her of how her dogs Aurum and Argentum would follow her back in 2: following her just to see where she led but watching, always watching. And dangerous.

Octavian was already there with District 1. The girl was watching her with a strange smile, and the boy and weird purple eyes. "Well, now that we're all here," Reyna started.

"Get on with it, Two," Clarisse barked.

For some reason, this made Reyna angry. How dare this girl act like she wasn't worth talking to? "I'm sorry, do you have somewhere to be?" Reyna asked.

"As Jackson here keeps reminding me, these training days are for training. Not talking."

Well, Percy Jackson had just earned her ire. "This won't take long, then. Are we all an alliance?"

"That's all you had to ask?" 4 blustered. "I have other things to do!"

The boy from 1 stepped in. What was his name? Castor? "I don't think it's a stupid question. I think that it's good to discuss. And I'll be the first to say that being in an alliance sounds good."

Octavian smiled at Castor. He seemed compliant, Octavian realized, quick to try and defuse all situations. So he wasn't a stereotypical Career, all bite and no bark. Someone easy to order around. Weak-minded, perhaps, but there might have been something else hiding in there.

"I'll second that," said Percy. _Strong,_ Octavian catalouged him, _but perhaps not inherently violent._

"Fine," Clarisse spat out. "We're an alliance. Anything else, princess?"

This would be amusing. Octavian watched in interest to see how Reyna would react to this. It could be informative. Sure enough, Reyna bristled. "Don't call me that."

Clarisse smirked. "You got a problem?"

Percy placed his hand on her arm. "Clarisse, calm down."

Clarisse didn't attack Percy, which interested Octavian. Perhaps the girl wasn't as terrifying as she seemed? Or maybe her district partner had some kind of hold on her. That would be fortuitous. Trust was easy to exploit.

"Nancy?" Castor asked.

"Duh," the redhead answered. "Was there much of a question?"

"What about your district partner?" Clarisse asked. "He was Reaped. Does he have what it takes to be one of us?"

Now Octavian was annoyed. That simple question could actually throw a wrench in his plans. "Yes, I was trained, Miss La Rue."

"It's Clarisse, punk!"

Octavian ignored her. "Now, I think that the matter comes to whether we allow others to join?"

Percy considered this question. Technically, it was the more, the merrier, right? But then again, too many people could get dangerous. If they happened to let everyone else in the Arena join, would they just have a big party or something? That would be cool.

 _Concentrate!_ Percy reminded himself. Now was not for jokes. His district was counting on him. Tyson and his mother were waiting for him to come back.

"I vote no," said Reyna. "We can't have too many people."

"I vote yes," Nancy countered. "The more people we have, the more kills we can make during the Bloodbath."

"Perhaps we should let some join and then kill them afterwards?" Octavian suggested.

Okay. Percy definitely did not like Octavian now. What kind of person would lure people into a sense of safety and then turn on them? Not someone that Percy wanted to trust his life with, that was for sure.

"That seems dishonorable," said Reyna. "We should at least give them a fighting chance."

"A fighting chance means that you will die," Octavian argued.

"I'm with the scarecrow on this one," said Clarisse. "I like that plan."

"Agreed," said Nancy. "Motion passed?"

Reyna made eye contact with Percy. She was trying to communicate something to him, Percy realized. They were the normal members of this alliance. He looked down.

"Fine," Reyna sighed. "You can go do what you want now."

Ethan watched the newly formed Career alliance go to separate stations. The buff girl picked up a mace and swung it around. Reyna from 2 practiced with a spear. Percy used a trident, Nancy threw some knives, and Castor used a sword. Octavian picked up a small knife and started butchering a dummy with it.

Ethan felt the rage in him start to rise. These people were the enemy. They were just as bad as the Capitol! They practiced for this dogfight and then volunteered, knowing that they could die! What kind of people did that? Only the worst.

Ethan yanked on the knot that he was tying. What a useless station. When was he going to use this, anyway? Dropping the rope on the floor, he made his way over to the swords. The boy from 1 didn't seem to notice or care that Ethan had joined him.

Ethan picked up a light rapier. It didn't feel right in his hand. Neither did a broadsword. He settled on a middleweight sword, about as long as his arm. Ethan didn't have any experience with it, but this one felt right in his hand. Experimentally, he started swinging it around.

It wasn't the hardest thing that he had ever done, but he obviously wasn't a natural. He looked at the 1 boy's movements and tried to copy them. The boy wasn't the best, either, but he seemed to know the technique.

"Do you want any help?" a trainer asked.

Ethan glared at the man. He didn't want to accept help from one of the demented Capitolites, but at the same time, he needed the help if he wanted to improve.

"Fine," he answered.

The man showed him the correct way to stand and guided his hand in a few thrusts and parries. Thankfully, Ethan picked up quickly.

Suddenly, the air behind him shifted. Ethan turned, to see that the 1 boy had swung his sword and only narrowly missed him. That boy had been trying to kill him!

"I'm s-sorry," the boy stuttered.

"Sorry? You could have stabbed me!"

"I didn't see you there. I'm really sorry."

Oh, so the boy thought that that was an acceptable excuse? This was one of the disgusting Careers! He was sneaky and underhanded, and thought that he would have been able to kill some of the competition before the Game started! Ethan's anger rose. How dare he?

"Are you okay?" the boy in front of him continued.

"Unfortunately for you."

The blonde seemed to notice Ethan's anger. "I really am sorry."

"I'm sorry, too."

"W-what for?"

"Sorry that I'm going to kill you."

That stunned the boy into silence. Ethan smirked, before turning his back and walking away. "What's the 1 boy's name?" he asked a random girl that he found at the fire-making station.

She looked up in surprise, and then when she saw his face, fear. She had dark skin, curly hair—she was from 10. Why wasn't she answering? Was she working with the 1 boy? Was she going to try to kill him once she had the chance?

"Um, I think Castor," she finally answered.

Hazel looked up at Ethan. He seemed unhinged, and it was kind of scaring her. She felt bad for Castor, he had to deal with this creepy guy's obsession.

Hazel turned back to her flint and steel, trying to use her perephrial vision to make sure that Ethan wasn't going to choke her or stab her with a fingernail. For once, the fear that the people in District 10 held for her and her mother might have come in handy. He could have easily hurt her. He was taller than she was, and looked pretty strong. Plus, there was the matter of his missing eye. How had that happened?

Hazel spotted Frank across the room, practicing with bows. Abandoning her futile attempts at fire-building, she went over to him. "Hey, Frank."

"Hey, Hazel. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. The guy from 8 is creepy, but other than that...how's your practice going?"

Frank looked down, kind of pink. "Pretty well, actually. I guess I just have sme kind of talent."

Oh, that was adorable! Frank was feeling bashful over the fact that he was good at something! Hazel worried about her friend sometimes, as he had so many problems with self esteem. She thought it was great that she had found something that he was good at.

"Can I see?" she asked.

"Um, sure."

Frank lifted the bow and drew back the string. He let the arrow fly. It didn't hit the bullseye, but it landed in a good strong hit on the target near the center. "Obviously I'm not perfect yet," Frank said, "but I think that I can get better."

"That's amazing! I guess I should try out a weapon."

"I'm sure that you'll do great at whatever you choose."

That settled it. Frank was officially the most amazing person that she had ever met. Feeling daring, she gave him a peck on the cheek and ran to the sword section. A large, long sword had caught her eye.

"Do you want any help with that?" a trainer asked her.

"Sure!" Hazel answered. She could use all the help she could get.

Lou was at the edible bugs station. She found it amazing that so many things in the natural world—so many gross things, to be exact—were okay for consumption. She was on her fourth round of taking the test. So far, her best score was 28 out of 40. Lou wanted to get a perfect score at least once before moving on. Maybe it was bad time management, but this could be important!

"Wow. I guess you're into bugs, just like the little rat you are."

Lou turned around. Nancy Bobofit from 1 stood there, smirking.

"You wanna go, Bobofit?" Lou asked her.

"Excuse me?"

Lou shrugged, smiling. "I just find it amusing that someone with the last name _Bobofit_ is making fun of me. Can I call you Bobo?"

The freckled girl was getting angry. This was fun. "Why don't you say that one more time."

"Can I call you Bobo, Bobofit?"

Bobo curled her fingers into fists. Lou imagined steam coming out of her ears. She waited for Bobo to charge her, but the girl from 1 had enough self-control to at least avoid attacking another tribute before the Games started. Instead, Bobo just smiled at Lou. "Just you wait until the Arena, District Nine. Just you wait."

"I look forward to it."

Lou turned back to her test, but it wasn't long before she was interrupted again, this time by Will. "That wasn't very smart, Lou."

Lou shrugged. "Can you blame me for having my fun, Will?"

"I'd just, you know, prefer not to see you dead."

Lou laughed. "I'd like to avoid it myself. And you know what, Will? For you I'll tone it down."

Will nodded. "Edible."

"What?"

"Cicadas are edible."

"How do you know that?"

Will grinned at her. "A magician never tells their secrets, right?"

Lou made a face at him. "Fine. But I'm never eating a cicada."

Nico watched the pair from 9. They were talking and laughing together, which he found obnoxious. Didn't they know how valuable this time was? More importantly, couldn't they stop rubbing their friendship in everyone else's faces? The only people who were more annoying were the two from 10. The girl had actually kissed the boy. Some people just needed to get it together and get ready for the death contest that would start in a few short days!

Nico sliced the arms off the practice dummy with his short sword. So far, this weapon had been working for him. He was no Career, but he wasn't too bad either. Maybe he was good enough to take down Zoe, but he couldn't be sure yet. He had to make sure he was good enough to take down his district partner before he stopped practicing.

So lost in his anger was he that he completely missed the dummy on his next try. His sword swung down and hit the ground. Nico growled in consternation.

The girl from 10 looked over at him. "You okay?"

"Yes," he hissed, yanking up his sword.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"Of course not! Do I look hurt?"

"No, but you seem angry. Do you need help?"

Nico tried to bring up some anger at her. She was interfering with his practice. She was nosy. But instead, all that came to mind was Bianca. She would do the same thing in this situation, keep hounding him for information until he gave it. Nico took a deep breath. "I'm fine."

The 10 girl—Hazel! Her name was Hazel!—nodded. "Okay, then. You know, if you need any help, you can always come to me."

Why had she said that? Why was she making Nico believe that she was a decent person? Couldn't she just go away?

"Fine," Nico snapped. He focused his attention back on the dummy and went back to hacking it to pieces.


	7. Training Day 2

Annabeth had spent all of her time at the survival stations the day before, and decided to move on to weapons on the second day of training. Her life in District 3 had actually been relatively useful for the Games. On one hand, she knew how to live with barely any food and was used to betrayal. On the other hand, industrial District 3 hadn't given her any prior knowedge on how to survive like the tributes from, say, 10 or 11.

Annabeth picked up a bow and arrow and fired it. For her first time, it wasn't too bad. The arrow was on the outermost ring. Annabeth tried again and again. A helpful trainer was able to show her how to balance the arrow and aim better, and Annabeth improved. However, the bow felt wrong in her hands. In addition to that, Annabeth didn't like the idea of a ranged weapon. It was safer, yes, but when she was in a melee situation, she would be doomed. She needed something with more versatility.

Then again, she did have some basic knowledge of hand-to-hand combat from her time on the streets. With a bow and arrow and her trusty fists, she could probably fight off some of the weaker to average tributes. However, against the Careers or any other pack, she would be doomed.

 _Think, Annabeth,_ she told herself. _Versatility. Something that helps you with your hand-to-hand combat._

Her gray eyes settled on another weapons display. Annabeth smiled.

 _Knife._

Katie had abandoned the knife station a long time ago, deeming the weapons too dangerous to use. You had to get ludicrously close to your opponent, and knives were hard to use. Who would bother fighting with such a stupid weapon?

Even worse were tridents. They were too heavy for her to easily use, and the triple-pronged end was hard to hit something with. Katie decided that tridents were best left to the use of District 4 tributes and other people who were crazy enough to want them.

Spears, too, were annoying. They were too long and unwieldy, and they weren't sharp enough. If Katie wanted a long weapon, then she wanted it with a sharpened edge so that she could actually fight with it, kind of like the sword that Hazel from 10 was practicing with.

Bows were still worse than spears. Katie found that she didn't have good aim. She might have been able to hit someone in a completely nonvital area, but that wasn't good enough! She needed a weapon that she could trust.

A weapon that she could kill with.

A mace was out of the question. Katie didn't have the arm strength to swing it around for extended periods of time. Her arms were meant for climbing and stretching, not weight-lifting!

Axes were also too hard to use. They were meant for swinging and chopping, which Katie felt was too dangerous. She needed something that could keep her protected.

So the field fell down to swords. Katie selected a light rapier, something that she could use to stab and thrust and which was light enough for her to run and climb with. Still, it felt wrong in her hands, flimsy and weak. Katie didn't like it. She didn't have faith in it.

So Katie left the weapons area, deciding to head back to the survival stations. She was good with hiding, climbing, and plants, but her fire-making skills could use a lot of help.

As she was leaving, though, a shield caught her eye. The shields were designed to be used along with a sword, but Katie wondered, could they be use independently?

There were tiny shields to be used with rapiers. They were light, and Katie could throw they accurately. They weren't bladed, but they could pack a lot of punch. Katie tried out a larger shield, too. It was a bit heavy for her, but Katie liked how protected she felt by it. And if worst came to worst, Katie could definitely injure someone with it. Maybe even kill.

When Rachel spotted Clovis at the camoflauge station, he was asleep.

Rachel had sprinted over to him and shaken him. "Clovis! You have to wake up!"

For one terrifying moment, she thought that he was dead. Then, he opened his eyes. "Rachel?" he mumbled.

"Yeah, Clovis. Are you okay?"

"Mm-hmm. I was just…" Clovis was silent for a few moments, and Rachel realized that he had fallen asleep again.

"Clovis!"

"Yeah! I'm awake! I was just feeling tired."

Rachel knit her eyebrows together. "Clovis, are you sure that you're okay? I don't think that falling asleep like that is normal."

"I'm fine," Clovis insisted. He tried standing up, but swayed dangerously. "Um, maybe I'll sit down for a while."

"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "You do that."

She was getting worried about her partner. Did he have some kind of disease that made him fall asleep? He was always so spacey, but Rachel had assumed that he was tired or just liked letting his mind float away to other places. Not that he was fighting to stay awake! "Clovis, are you absolutely sure that you're okay?"

" _Yes,_ " Clovis insisted. "Rachel, seriously. You should…you should…" Clovis closed his eyes. Rachel had to keep herself from slapping him. Instead, she pinched his arm.

"I'm awake!" said Clovis. "Rachel, I'll…um…be fine. This happens all the time. It's nothing that I can't deal w…with."

Clovis used the wall to support himself and shakily stood up. He turned his back on her and started walking away. Rachel felt like crying. Clovis might have been able to deal with this back home, but that didn't change the fact that once the Games started, he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

And Rachel hated herself for it, but a small part of her wondered whether it was better to have a disorder like Clovis, or to be like her, dying for the crimes of her father.

Jason's plans for getting an ally had gone out the window. Instead, he was over at the electronics station learning about how to build helpful gadgets that he could make out of debris and use during the Games. He was reading a book on static electricity and sparks. He wanted to learn how to channel electicity, as he had a feeling that it could be useful. Jason adjusted his glasses, wishing that Ella were with him. She would have been able to memorize everything in seconds and define all of the hard words for him.

"You put those in the wrong way."

Jason looked up. The 3 boy, Leo, was standing there. Jason felt a bit perturbed. Normally, he was more observant. How long had Leo been there?

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"Those batteries. You put them in the wrong way."

Leo grabbed the small camera that Jason was trying to fix and reversed the batteries. Jason extended his hand, expecting Leo to return it, but Leo wasn't done there. He grabbed a hammer and some more scrap metal and began rewiring the camera. When he was done with that, he put the back of it back on. It didn't look too far from the picture in the book, but Leo still hadn't finished. He used a lighter to weld together some pieces of metal.

"What are you doing?" Jason asked.

"Giving this baby some shielding. Having a camera to keep track of where everyone's going is great and all, but it needs to be more protected." Jason noticed that Leo's feet were tapping crazily. Leo turned back to him, gingerly holding the camera. "Done!"

 _Whoa._ Jason had always considered himself above average with his knowledge of electronics, but Leo's skills were amazing! He had recorded the boy as being scatterbrained and overexcited, but maybe Leo was a useful ally.

"Leo, that's amazing," Jason said.

"I try to impress," Leo replied. "Though I already knew that. You can start calling me Mr. Amazing, if you want."

Well, Leo was a genius, but he was still kind of crazy. "Thanks," Jason said, "but I'll stick with Leo. Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"Not here!" Leo answered. "I've got electronics down pat. What brings you here, though?"

"I don't know. I mean, I come from 5, so I work with electronics and electricity, but I guess I wanted to get better."

Leo nodded. "I know what you mean. You work with electricity, and it's a thing that's always _there,_ but…"

"But I never really had much idea of what it meant, or what I could do with it."

"Don't you get all the power you want in Five?"

"Only what we pay for."

Leo grinned. "Sounds like Three. Hey, Jason…you can't help me here, but do you think you could help me find a weapon?"

Jason wasn't sure about that. ( _Worry about yourself,_ Thalia had told him during their brief goodbyes. _Worry about yourself, and make sure that you know what you're doing before you go into that shithole._ ) He didn't have time to help anyone, he had to focus on himself. Then again, Leo _had_ helped him. And Jason wouldn't have minded being in an alliance with him.

"Sure, Leo."

Grover and Calypso were painting themselves into a tree. Calypso wasn't so bad at it. As it turned out, she had some talent at painting. But Grover was struggling.

It shouldn't have been so hard to hide himself! If worst came to worst, then Grover thought that he could probably climb a tree or hide himself in a bush. Still, Calypso insisted that they couldn't know what the Arena would look like, and that they needed to learn every method of camouflage that they could.

Grover hated to admit it, but he understood where she was coming from. Neither of them were very good fighters; rather, they were survivalists. They could find food well, as the edible plants test had shown, but they neither of them could use a weapon very well. Calypso wasn't very strong, and the only weapon that Grover could use with his terrible coordination was a club. A club might have been easy to find in an outdoor Arena, but Grover didn't like the idea of killing someone with it. Still, he would find a way to do it if it meant getting Calypso and him closer to home.

"I think that someone wants to join us," Calypso told him.

Grover looked around. Sure enough, little Ella from 5 was standing there. They way she watched Calypso and he was kind of unnerving. She barely blinked, just staring at them. She was too small, too. Grover could recognize starvation, and this girl looked like she was on the brink of it. She was too skinny, too pale. A few more days in the Capitol might help, but she had obviously had a bad life back in her district.

Grover smiled at the young girl, trying to make her feel more at ease. "Do you want to paint with us?" Calypso called.

Rather than joining them, Ella shook her head slightly and sprinted away. She looked embarrassed to be noticed. Grover watched her for a few more moments. She was trying out the climbing wall, and wasn't bad at it. But Grover knew that he couldn't focus on Ella, and turned his attention back to Calypso.

"Poor girl," Calypso said, voicing his thoughts.

"Yes. I wish that there was something that we could do to help her."

"There is, you know."

For a moment, Grover wondered whether Calypso was right. Maybe Calypso shouldn't win, maybe Ella should. She was the youngest, the most innocent. Didn't she deserve life?

But the moment was fleeting. Grover couldn't concentrate on the poor girl, no matter how important it was to think about her. He had to remember Juniper. He had to do everything that he could to help her life be easier.

Piper's father had taught her how to use swords and knives, but right now, the only weapon that was even remotely satisfying to Piper was a club. Piper swung it around, smashing it into the side of the dummy's head. She brought it back around. The force of her blow shook the mannequin. Her next blow knocked it over.

Piper recalled the conversation that she had had with her mentor Drew earlier. _"The only way you're going to win this is with your looks,"_ Drew had said.

 _"That's incredibly wrong!" Piper answered. "I can make it with my skills, Drew! I'm not like you!"_

 _Drew laughed. "Oh, hon. You're the same as me. We're two pretty girls who don't have any technical skills that are ever going to help us win the Games. But you do what I did, you use your looks to get money and make everyone underestimate you…well, you might actually have a chance."_

Piper hated her mentor. She hated the implication that the only thing she had going for her was her prettiness. She had talent! She was able to get 30 out of 30 on the plants test! She could sprint quickly (though her long-distance left a lot to be desired). She knew her way around a blade. And she was strong enough to knock over that stupid dummy!

A guy came up next to her. He looked like a crazy elf, with curly hair. He had a friend with him, a blonde guy with glasses. They were Jason from 3 and Leo from 5…or maybe it was the other way around? Curly had a club with him. He tried taking a hit at a dummy. His stance was all wrong, and he didn't look like he had much force behind his blow. See, Drew? Piper was totally better that the other tributes!

"Maybe that's not the weapon for you," Blondie suggested.

Curly ignored him and took another swing. This time, he hit the dummy, but the blow reverberated up his arm, and he dropped the club. "Man, how do you do this, Pipes?" he asked.

Piper realized that he was addressing her. "Don't call me that," she said.

"Sorry," Blondie apologized for his friend. "We didn't mean to bother you."

"Whatever." Piper swung her bat at Curly's dummy. "Get some more force behind it."

Curly tried again. He was still pathetic at it, but at least he kept his grip on the dummy. "Thanks, Piper! I'm Mr. Amazing, but you can call me Leo if that's too much of a mouthful."

Ah, so he was Leo. "No problem," Piper told him.

Leo wasn't done yet. "This is Jason, my ally. Do you want to join us?"

"Wait, what?" Jason asked.

"We're totally allies, right Jason?" said Leo. "I mean, we've been helping each other and all that…"

Piper laughed, which made both boys stare at her. "Sorry. I just thought it was funny how…" she trailed off, not wanting to be rude. "You know what? I might just join your little alliance here." Jason seemed competent, anyway—and cute, if Piper was being honest.

"Thanks, Beauty Queen!" Leo exclaimed.

Okay, maybe Piper should reconsider. "I didn't say anything for sure yet, Curly."

"But you said that you might!"

Jason halfheartedly smiled at her. "Okay, then," he said. "What the hell? I guess I'll join."

Leo looked psyched. "Yes! From now on, we are Leo's Fighting Men and Ladies."

"What?" said Jason.

"I need to object to that name," Piper added.

"I guess I can reconsider," Leo conceded. "But I get to call you guys nicknames!"

Zoe watched as Piper joined an alliance with the two _boys_ from 3 and 5. Another good choice for an ally, gone. Zoe found herself disgusted with Piper. How dare she let herself be taken in by two males? They could offer her nothing. Piper was no better than the people she chose to fraternize with, and Piper's choice left a lot to be desired. Calypso, too, allowed herself to be taken in by her district partner. Nancy, Reyna, and Clarisse were in an alliance with three males. Rachel talked to her district partner, as did Lou Ellen. Hazel had even _kissed_ her partner. How disgusting!

Zoe eyed the bow display. She could shoot a bow with stunning precision, but she did not want to reveal this to all of her adversaries, who would not doubt try to take advantage of the information. They did not deserve to know anything about her, not the people who remained in the center of the training room, unobservant. The helpful information belonged to people like her, the ones who watched quietly from the shadows.

The only other person doing so was Ella. She had found a perch on the ceiling, and was watching the goings-on of the tributes below. She had recently fled the glimpses of the male from 7. Smart girl. Annabeth and Reyna, too, would sometimes look up and around as if observing. But no, she, Zoe, was the only one smart enough to be doing it constantly.

Zoe once again considered going at the Games alone. She worked well in a group, but she also worked well as a solo agent. And on her own, there would be no pesky other people getting in her way.

Then again, there were other important things offered by allies: extra protection, companionship perhaps.

But Zoe knew that she could do both of those things herself.

So it was settled. All of the people in the room, from the minute the gong rang out at the Bloodbath, were her enemies.


	8. Private Sessions

Castor felt sick. He wasn't sure what he should show the Gamemakers. He had been trained, yes, but he was far from perfect with any weapon. He briefly considered showing his skills at a survival station, but that was what a district tribute would do. It would garner him a lower score.

"You may start, Mr. Bordeax," a Gamemaker told him.

Castor headed for the swords. He selected a long, light sword and attacked a practice dummy. His blade cut through the armor and canvas like butter. When he was done, the dummy had been hacked to shreds. Castor thought that his technique had been good, and that he had done a good job.

When Nancy entered, she grabbed a sword, too. This one was shorter and heavier. "You!" she called out to a trainer. "Face me."

The trainer picked up a sword similar to hers. Nancy made the first move, stabbing forward. The trainer parried her blow, but Nancy slashed at his head. He barely caught her sword on his own blade, and countered with a move of her own. But Nancy parried and went on the offensive again. Their fight went on for a few minutes, with Nancy forced to go on the defensive a few times, but ultimately winning.

Octavian entered and picked up two long knives. He hacked up a training dummy, cursing his bad fortune. Why hadn't he kept on training? He had stopped training when he was 14 because he had no interest in going into the Games. Still, he should have kept in practice so that if he did have to enter, he wouldn't be so messy. He knew that his form was sloppy, but he kept on trying, pulverizing the dummy and bowing to the Gamemakers before he left.

When Reyna entered, she went straight for a mace. She gestured to three trainers, and began fighting them. There was no denying that the girl had skill. She was able to successfully take down all three of them within 10 minutes, using the area around her to her advantage and combining brute force with refined technique. The Gamemakers were smiling by the time she left.

When Leo entered, he wasn't too worried. He headed for the electronics station, aware of the chuckles of the Gamemakers behind him. Picking up a hammer, some pressure plates, and wires, he went to work. Near the end of the 15-minute session, his creation was complete. He gently placed it on the ground and threw a piece of metal at it. For a moment, nothing happened, and Leo began to worry. Then, the creation exploded. "Yeah!" Leo hooted. " Who's Mr. Amazing? I am!"

Annabeth heard the sound of an explosion from inside the room and began worrying for Leo. Had he finally managed to blow himself up? But no, he emerged from the room looking ecstatic. Annabeth entered a few minutes later and observed a mat near the electronics station. So Leo _had_ blown something up. Annabeth tried to ignore the smell of smoke in the air and went over to the knife station. Facing a trainer with a sword, she started fighting with a knife. The trainer seemed wary of coming at her at full strength lest he hurt her. Annabeth couldn't help but feel insulted, but knew that this was beneficial in that it made her look better. Still, she was glad to see that she had picked up some good skills over the last few days. She was able to block all of the man's attacks, and got a few strikes of her own in. But ultimately, the trainer was able to get her on the ground with his sword pointed at her throat. The trainer smiled at her apologetically, before getting up and turning away.

Annabeth threw her knife.

It smacked into the man's back and would have stayed there if he wasn't wearing armor. Annabeth hoped that what she had done hadn't made the Gamemakers mad. Still, there were no rules against it! If Annabeth's opponent during the Games was dumb enough to let her go and think that she would just lay down and die after beating her, then they deserved a knife in the back.

"You're dismissed, Miss Chase," a Gamemaker told her.

Percy entered the room after the blonde from 3 and picked up a sword and net. He had been trained using a trident and net, but Percy found that when he coupled his net abilities with a sword, he was even better. Not wanting to hurt a trainer, Percy demonstrated his abilities on moving dummies. He caught each in his net and stabbed them in vital areas, or simply hacked at them as they passed him. All in all, he only missed one dummy.

Clarisse went up against three different trainers with a spear, holding them off and smacking them around, showing off her abilities with a spear, but mostly showcasing her brute force. Jackson and Princess might have talked about refinement and skill, but Clarisse knew that once the Games started, strength was all that mattered. The strong tributes were the winners, not the nancing punks who played around all pretty with swords. Clarisse left feeling satisfied.

Jason showcased his abilities with a sword. He fought a trainer. He was on the defensive for most of the time, but whenever he saw an opportunity, he took it. He remembered what Ella had told him about using a diagonal sword as a shield as well as a weapon, and tried to follow her advice. Still, he lost in the end. Humiliated, Jason left.

Ella entered feeling scared. _Ella is not good at weapons. Gamemakers like weapons._ She headed for the Gauntlet, an obstacle course with moving parts and weapons to dodge. She started it by running up a series of moving platforms. Ella wasn't the most graceful, but she was able to do it. Her legs vibrated with every motion and her whole body hurt. Next, she had to dodge the attacks of trainers holding clubs. Ella tried ducking and rolling under most of them, but near the end, she ran out of steam. A club smacked her in the head, and Ella went down.

20 times 21 is 420…right? The tiny girl from 5 exited looking dazed, and Clovis went in. His head was swimming already, and Clovis knew that trying to hold a weapon would be a bad idea. 21 times 23…come on, come on…but Clovis could find the answer. Clovis tried to tie a knot, but his hands were slipping and he couldn't do it…with a sigh, everything went black.

The Head Gamemaker watched the boy from 6 fall to the ground, fast asleep. "Take him out the back way," she ordered a trainer.

"Shouldn't we give him another chance?" A Gamemaker asked.

"No point. He has narcolepsy. He's cannon fodder for sure."

When Clovis didn't exit, Rachel started getting scared. Had he fallen asleep again? A trainer called her in. Rachel went for the camouflage station. The berries and paints reminded her of her paint set at home. She proceeded to thickly layer on the paint and wedge herself between an artificial rock and bush, with a tree behind her. The different colors of the paint looked almost indistinguishable between the actual things and where her own body started. Rachel had used black paint to shellac her hair back, before painting it to blend into the tree. She stayed there for a few moments, until a trainer dismissed her. _Where is Clovis?_ Rachel wondered. _I hope he's okay._

Grover tried out the Gauntlet too, with a club of his own. He was nimble when it came to climbing and jumping, and Grover was glad. When he got to the trainers aiming clubs at him, he used his own weapon to knock them out of the way and even hit a trainer or two back. Still, when he got to the last moving platform, he jumped at missed. He fell through the air. Grover wildly grabbed out, somehow managing to get a grip on the platform, but he dropped his club and he was losing his grip. After a few seconds, Grover fell into the net below.

Grover smiled at Calypso as he exited, and Calypso smiled nervously backed. Hopefully, Grover had done a good job. Calypso entered and went for the medical station. She wanted to show the Gamemakers that she knew how to preform basic cauterization and stitches, but she didn't want to have to cut herself. Without anyone to preform her demonstration on, she was reduced to having to explain her methods verbally, and the Gamemakers were already getting drunk.

When Ethan entered, he went straight for the knives. The Head Gamemaker made a note that a lot of the tributes this year were weapon-oriented. Ethan picked up six tiny knives and put them between his fingers, making three claws on each hand. Ethan then beckoned a trainer towards him. He attacked quickly, using the knives as an extension of his already brutal fists. Ethan felt some satisfaction at the fact that he was beating the trainer. Then, the trainer disappeared. Ethan knew that the man was going to try coming up on his blind side. These Capitol people were underhanded cheaters! But Ethan would beat them. He would beat them all. He had been fighting with one eye for years! Did they really think that they could trick him like that? Ethan lashed out at the trainer, cutting bloody streaks down his face. Ethan laughed.

Piper, too, went for smaller knives. But instead of using them for hand-to-hand combat, she used them for throwing. There were 15 targets. She hit the bullseye on four of them and managed to land her knife in the inner rings for the rest. Piper curtseyed to the Gamemakers, and left, wondering if any of them had been paying attention to her performance.

Will was another tribute that went for the medical supplies, but he took a different track than Calypso. He took a knife and cut his arm open. A few Gamemakers shouted in protest, but Will ignored them. He took some hydrogen peroxide and cleaned the wound, before stitching it up messily and putting a bandage over it. It was one of the most painful things that he had ever done, and tears were coming out of his eyes by the end of it. Still, Will took deep breaths and tried to calm down. Worse than this would happen once the Games started.

Lou had absolutely no idea what she was going to do, and thinking about it just made it worse. Getting a crazy idea, she set the edible bugs test to a Yes/No setting, grabbed some knives, and stood about ten feet away from it. "The hand is quicker than the eye," she said to no one in particular, as she made a small knife appear to disappear. She showed both of her hands—empty. Then, she pulled the knife from behind her ear and threw it with all of her might at the YES button. Her knife smacked into it handle first, and the test moved on to the next question. By the end of 10 questions, Lou was feeling good about herself. (Cicadas were edible. Thanks, Will.)

Frank entered and shakily picked up a bow. The Gamemakers were laughing about something and not really paying attention to him, but Frank tried to ignore that fact. He drew back the arrow and fired. After a while, he got into a rhythym. After 15 targets, he had scored seven bullseyes and eight of his arrows were around that area. Frank smiled. He had gotten pretty good at this!

Hazel smiled at Frank as he exited. He looked pretty happy with himself. That was good! If he had done well, then they would have sponsors. But Hazel would have to score well, too. She picked up her longsword. Whenever she had practiced with it, it had felt too big in her hands. Hazel had asked the trainer, and it turned out that people used swords like this while riding on horses, and that it was illogical for the Games. That had just cemented Hazel's determination to use it. With the sword in her hands, she could pretend that she was sitting atop Arion, proud and free. Hazel nodded at a trainer, asking her to fight. The trainer charged Hazel with a sword. Hazel ran.

Something that she had picked up on was that it would be easier to use the longsword when elevated, so Hazel climbed on top of one of the rocks in the camouflage station and parried the trainer's blows from there. From that vantage point, Hazel did have a lot of force behind her blows, as well as a safe distance from her attacker. Still, when she forced the trainer back a step, she had to step onto the ground. That made Hazel feel offbalance. When her session had ended, she and the trainer were still locked in combat.

Connor entered the room, and noticed that the Gamemakers looked pretty drunk. Naturally, his first instinct was to rob them of whatever valuables they had. Connor quelled that though. Someone would notice what had happened, and anyway, stealing from them wouldn't be beneficial. Instead, going against all of his instincts, Connor emptied his pockets of all of the things that he had stolen from the Training Center. Fishhooks, rope, a screwdriver, all landed on the floor. "You're welcome," Connor said to the Gamemakers who were actually bothering to watch him, and walked out.

Katie entered the room and did the edible plants test, where she got a 29 out of 30. Cheeks burning at her mistake, Katie went to the climbing wall and scaled it. The wall shook and crashed around, but Katie managed to hang on. She dodged boiling water that poured over the edge and made it to the top. She wasn't sure whether the Gamemakers were watching, but the ones that were _had_ to realize that she was doing a good job! It wasn't fair that people like her from the lower districts didn't get the full attention that they deserved!

The girl from 11 looked angry as she exited. Nico wondered if the Gamemakers had been particularly rude to her. He entered, noting that whatever he did, the Gamemakers probably wouldn't care. He attacked a few practice dummies with his sword before being dismissed long before his time was up. _How dare they?_ Nico wondered. _They have a job, why won't they do it?_

Finally, after several hours of waiting, Zoe entered. She went over to the archery station and chose out a bow. It was silver, manufacture, and felt wrong in Zoe's hands. Zoe would not consider herself a master of bows, but she had enough experience to know when one was balanced wrong. She shot 15 bullseyes. The Gamemakers, though, were not watching her.

Cold fury ran through Zoe. These Capitol cretins were not even human enough to give her the attention that she deserved! Rather, they chose to pay attention to their meal, though they lived with the knowledge that food was not hard to come by! Zoe shot her arrow through an apple resting in a roasted pig's mouth. The instant that she let her arrow loose, Zoe knew that she had made a mistake. She was the master of her emotions, not the other way around. Yes, she had been chafed in waiting so long, and her annoyance may have been justified, but she had to keep herself under control.

"I apologize," Zoe told the Head Gamemaker, thankful that it was a woman she was giving her untrue apology to.

The woman nodded. "You can go, Miss Nightshade."

The minute that the girl from 12 had left, the Head Gamemaker turned to her colleagues. Most of them were drunk, but there was a new Gamemaker who looked sober. "What did you observe?" the Head Gamemaker asked him.

The young man looked surprised. "Um, a lot of the tributes favor swords."

"Good. More importantly, most are average with them."

Another Gamemaker interrupted. "Well, grading on the 1-12 scale, most are average. But I think that we often grade on the 1-10 scale and save 11 and 12 for the crazy, out of the world acts. So most of the tributes are above average."

The Head Gamemaker smiled. "Exactly. Most of the tributes are around the same level, excepting Districts 1, 2, and 4—"

"And the cannon fodder, Ella and Clovis," the female Gamemaker interrupted.

The Head Gamemaker gave her a thin-lipped smile. "Now, now. We don't know anything for sure yet. The point is, with so many tributes with similar skills, we can't trust them to kill each other."

"So?" the young man asked.

"So, it's our job to drive the Game forward."

XXXXX

 _Ella likes cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls are good._

"Ella, maybe you should eat something else," Ella's mentor Iris ( _Irises are flowers deriving their name from an ancient word meaning rainbow. They are used in perfumes as well as some medicines)_ suggested.

"Ella likes cinnamon rolls. Ella doesn't like cheese. Cheese is bad. Bad, bad, bad."

Iris sighed. "Okay, then."

Notus patted his mouth with a hankerchief. "The training scores will be on soon! Let's get ready to go and watch them.

 _Ella will get a bad score, and Ella will die. Dying is sad. Dying is bad._

Jason looked worried too. Ella wondered how Jason had done. If Jason had done a bad job, then she certainly had, too.

Soon enough, the training scores came on. Castor had gotten an 8. Nancy had gotten a 9.

"Not bad," Notus commented. "Still, it could have been better. You should watch out for those two."

Octavian had only scored a 7. Ella felt good about that. But Reyna had gotten a 10, which Notus whistled appreciatively at. Leo had gotten a 7, good for District 3, _where the average training score is 4._ Annabeth had scored a 6. Percy had gotten a 9, and Clarisse had gotten a 10.

And then it was their turn. Jason's picture came up, and a 5 flashed up by his name. Jason turned red. _Jason has gotten the worst score yet. Jason may have assumed that he would have scored better, although his expression directly after the session was not promising._

But Ella's was worse still. She had gotten a 4. Her cheeks burned. She was the youngest tribute, yes, but she had thought that she had done a good job on the Gauntlet! Now no one would sponsor her.

The screen flickered on to District 6. Clovis had gotten a 1. Ella felt relieved. She was not longer the worst-scoring tribute. But how had he managed to get such a low score? Rachel had gotten a 5, same as Jason. Grover from 7 had gotten a 6, and Calypso had scored a 4. Ethan Nakamura had a 7. Piper had a 6. Ella remembered that the dark-haired girl and Jason had been talking on the second day of training. Were they in an alliance? If so, then Piper's score was a good thing for Jason.

Will from District 9 had managed a 6, while Lou Ellen came up with a 5. Frank had a 6, too, while Hazel had a 5. Connor had only scored a 2, and his district partner Katie also had a 5. Nico had a 5 as well, and Zoe had an 11.

11!

How had that happened? 11s were incredibly rare, and Zoe wasn't even a Career! It appeared that the volunteer from 12 had known what she was doing when she stepped onto the stage and asked to go into a death match. Zoe was allegedly now Ella's biggest competition.

And obviously, she was competition that Ella could not beat.

 **I finally figured out how to create a poll, and there is now a poll on my page. It would be great if anyone could do it. I hope that the training scores made sense.**

 **Here is a list of the tributes and their scores:**

 **D1: Castor Bordeax, 8; Nancy Bobofit, 9**

 **D2: Octavian Hill, 7; Reyna, 10**

 **D3: Leo Valdez, 7; Annabeth Chase, 6**

 **D4: Percy Jackson, 9; Clarisse La Rue, 10**

 **D5: Jason Grace, 5; Ella Harrison, 4**

 **D6: Clovis Sonan, 1; Rachel Dare, 5**

 **D7: Grover Underwood, 6; Calypso Aterra, 4**

 **D8: Ethan Nakamura, 7; Piper Mclean, 6**

 **D9: Will Solace, 6; Lou Ellen Lerner, 5**

 **D10: Frank Zhang, 6; Hazel Levesque, 5**

 **D11: Connor Stoll, 2; Katie Gardner, 5**

 **D12: Nico di Angelo, 5; Zoe Nightshade, 11**


	9. Interviews (Part 1)

"And now, for our first tribute…Nancy Bobofit!"

Nancy smiled and waved at the crowd as she walked onto the stage. She was wearing a dark blue dress that flared out at the waist, and was covered in little diamonds. She felt great in it, even though she was wearing about fifteen different layers of makeup and was supposed to look like an innocent little girl. Which was hard to pull off, as an eighteen-year-old, but Nancy's mentor Alecto had told her to make everyone underestimate her. Nancy was always up for playing games, anyway.

"Hello, Nancy!" said Antaeus, the interview host. "You look beautiful tonight!"

Nancy forced a giggle. "Why, thank you, Antaeus!"

Antaeus grinned. "Well, let's get down to business! What makes you a competitor?"

Nancy smiled. This was a question that she was fine with answering. "Well, Antaeus, I'm strong and determined. I'm not going to let anyone get in the way of me being the Victor. I'm not afraid of anything, and I'm going to do whatever I need to to get home."

"Wow!" Antaeus exclaimed. "Well, if I was a competitor, I'm sure that I'd be scared of you!"

 _I'm sure you would,_ Nancy thought viciously. She respected that Antaeus made her look good. Still, she hated him for being so stupid and plastic. His skin, hair, and eyes were purple! That wasn't normal! But instead of screaming, Nancy just giggled again.

"So, what made you volunteer?" Antaeus asked.

Nancy's mind came to a stop. That was a question she didn't want to answer. It involved her ex-friend Allina and too many insults and made her feel weak and like a freak. Instead, Nancy went with a safe answer. "Why wouldn't I?"

Antaeus laughed, and the audience cheered wildly for her. "Wow! Nancy Bobofit, everyone!"

Castor was the next tribute to walk out. He was wearing a suit with purple grape designs all over it. "Castor Bordeax, with a score of 8. How are you feeling?"

 _Sick,_ Castor thought. The grape designs made him think of his father and Pollux, and Ethan had been glaring at him all night. Apparently, his vendetta hadn't worn off. "I'm fine, Antaeus. How are you?"

"I'm doing great! But this is about you, Castor. Let's see, have you got anyone back home that you're trying to get to?"

Tantalus had told Castor to act like a typical nice guy, but Castor was finding that hard at the moment. Why was Antaeus asking all of these touchy questions? "I have my twin brother, Pollux. I really miss him."

"I bet you do! Is he proud of you for volunteering?"

"He wasn't the happiest with it, but he understands my decision. He wished me luck, and made me promise to come home."

The audience _awwed._ "So why did _you_ volunteer?" Antaeus asked.

Being honest might give him a sob-story to work with. "My family needed the money. To be honest, our business is failing. I want to be able to support myself, and my brother."

Antaeus nodded. The answer was satisfactory. After a few more questions, Castor's turn was over, and Reyna came out wearing a long, flowing purple dress with designs. "Reyna Ramirez-Arellano," Antaeus introduced her. "Now, if I'm right, your father was a Victor."

Reyna gritted her teeth. Just saying her last name had made her unhappy with this commentator, but Reyna could use this to her advantage. She just had to stay calm. "Yes, Julian Ramirez was my father."

"Yes. If I remember correctly, he died when you would have been around seven."

Reyna thought that she had gotten over it, but just the mention of her father's death filled her with fear. "Yes. I was raised by my aunt C.C. and my sister Hylla from that point on. Hylla trained me for the Games."

"That's nice. She was a good trainer?"

"Absolutely. She taught me everything that I know." That might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but the audience seemed to love it. "I just want her to know…I don't say it very often, but I love her, and I'm going to make it home."

Reyna knew that she had said the right thing. The audience cheered wildly. Reyna wondered what Hylla was thinking right now. She had been raised not to show emotion, by her cut-off aunt, by her cold sister, by her deranged father. Hylla might have been cursing her. But at the same time, no matter what Hylla thought, Reyna was glad that she had said it. When Reyna got home, she would make sure to always let Hylla know how much Reyna loved her.

The audience was still cheering for Reyna when Leo went onto the stage. Whatever. Leo was Mr. Amazing! He could make anyone love him! Leo didn't let Antaeus start the conversation. Instead, he began. "Hey, Antaeus. Don't you love this outfit?" Leo was wearing a bronze suit with a hat made out of gears that spun and occasionally let off steam.

Antaeus smiled. "That's a pretty nice hat, I have to admit. I might have to get a version of it!"

"You can try to be as awesome as me if you want, but I think that I wear this hat better than anyone else will ever manage to."

"Is that so? You must really like your stylist."

Phylios was fine, not really even a blip on Leo's radar. "Yup! I love everything here so far! Everything here is amazing! Really amazing!" Leo could almost see his mentor Beckendorf facepalming in the audience. He had told Leo to gush about the Capitol, but Leo didn't think that he had meant for him to take it this far. Still, the audience loved it.

"You must miss home, though," Antaeus said.

"Yeah. I miss my younger brother Harley a lot." Leo made a heart with his hands. "I miss you, Harley! Stay strong! And remembered to turn off the stove when you leave the house!"

The audience laughed. Leo didn't think that his comment had been particularly funny, but hey, if the audience liked it…

Antaeus was laughing, too. "Well, it sounds like there's a story there! I'm sure that Harley and your parents are cheering you on!"

"Oh, I don't live with my parents. They died years ago. Harley's staying with my cousin Nyssa."

"Oh! I'm sorry to hear that—"

Antaeus was cut off as the buzzer rang. Annabeth walked onto the stage wearing a grey dress that went down to her shins. She was wearing a necklace with a ring on it.

Antaeus smiled. "Ah, our girl from Three! Annabeth, I have to say, you look beautiful tonight!"

 _Oh, spare me._ Annabeth only spared the host a nod. She had been told to play up the aloof side of her personality. That, at least, was an angle that she was fine with.

Antaeus didn't give up. "So, how have you found the Capitol so far?"

"It's been nice."

"Are you missing home?"

"Not particularly?"

"Oh, really? Is there something that happened back home that we should know about?"

 _Nothing I should tell you, you ignorant cretin,_ Annabeth thought.

Antaeus kept on asking stupid questions. "I see that you're wearing your token. What does it mean?"

Annabeth fixed her gaze on him, trying to communicate her hatred without actually glaring and ruining her image to the people of the Capitol. "It's my father's."

"Well, what does that…"

The ring had belonged to her father. It was the wedding ring he had exchanged with her mother before their marriage fell apart. Annabeth hadn't been aware that he still had it until he showed up at her room in the Justice Building and gave it to her. If Annabeth had known about it, would she still have run away? Probably. Her time on the streets had taught her a lot, and being stuck in her father's house would have felt awful.

Annabeth cut off the host. "Maybe we should talk about the Games," she suggested.

Antaeus looked relieved. "Of course! How are you feeling about your chances?"

"I'm not going to get arrogant," Annabeth said.

Antaeus smiled conspiratorially. "Now, now. You got a 6! That's not bad."

"A lot of people scored a 6 or higher. I will say, though, that I'm not to upset about my chances." The buzzer rang, and Annabeth left the stage. _Am I worried? Do I need to be worried? Well, of course, but logically, does worry help my chances at all?_

Percy Jackson was wearing armor as his top, with suit pants underneath, sewn up in a way that didn't actually make him look too horrible. It could have been a lot worse, though. Percy was intruiged by the interview of the blonde who had just gone. She had seemed so…cold. Like she hadn't been taken in by the Capitol at all.

Percy thrust that thought to the side as Antaeus greeted him. "Hello, Percy!"

"Hi, Antaeus."

"Percy, let's get right to it. What do you think your chances are?"

"I don't know. Pretty good, I think."

"I should say so! A 9 is pretty impressive."

Percy became aware of Nancy glaring at him from offstage. He smiled at her, and turned back to Antaeus. "I think it's pretty good too, although Reyna and Clarisse both did better."

"Come now, don't be so humble! You're one of the favorites to win this year."

"I'm glad to hear it. I tried my best."

"Yes, you volunteered. I assume that you did so for a reason, as well as having a good grasp of what you'll need to do."

Why had he volunteered? Percy realized that he wasn't actually sure about that. He had been told to do so, and so he had. "Yeah, I think that I have some idea of what I need to do."

"Why did you volunteer?"

"Because…there's lots of rewards involved." It was a stupid answer, and Percy knew it. He had a feeling that every other tribute was glaring at him.

"Was your family happy with that decision?"

"They were both supportive."

"Who are you referring to?"

"My mother and my brother Tyson." Percy smiled at a camera. "I love you guys!"

"I bet they're worried for you."

"Aren't all families?" Percy replied. "Still, they believe in me. And I believe in myself."

The punk's interview seemed to end on a good note. Clarisse stalked on as Jackson went off. Her stylists had forced her into a stupid red dress and shoes that made her totter and feel off-balance.

"So, Clarisse, how are you feeling this year?"

"I'm going to win," Clarisse said matter-of-factly, gladly taking her seat.

Antaeus laughed. What an idiot. "Well, it's nice to see some confidence!"

"It's not just confidence. There's no way that I can't win."

"Well, with your training score, I bet that you have a good chance! Don't we agree?"

The audience gave a roar of approval.

"So, Clarisse," said the host, starting the interview back up, "tell us something that we don't know about you."

"I work for the butcher in District Four." It was close enough to the truth. Clarisse hadn't worked for him in years, not since Silena died and Clarisse had started training full-time, but there wasn't much else that was legal to say.

"Well, that must have given you a lot of experience!"

 _How stupid is this guy?_ Clarisse wondered. He must have had some idea that people in the districts trained. But still, he acted ignorant. It pissed her off.

"Yeah, it did. I think that I can kill everyone here pretty easily."

Antaeus smiled. "I'm sure that I'd be terrified to go against you!"

 _Oh, you would be. You would be._

"What else don't we know about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's you token?"

If he thought he could trip her up, he was sorely wrong. "It's a bead. My friend gave it to me."

"Your friend sounds nice! I bet that they're rooting for you now."

"She's dead," Clarisse said shortly. "She died two years ago in the Games."

Antaeus put on a sympathetic expression. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that."

Clarisse's interview ended soon after that, and Jason was on. He was wearing a blue cape with lightning designs on it as an homage to his district, and a blue suit under that. His glasses had been painted blue. "Jason Grace! You look dashing, I must say."

"Thank you, Anteaus."

"I think that many of us here are wondering about your Reaping. There was someone calling your name, wasn't there? Would you mind telling us who she was?"

"That was my sister Thalia," Jason answered.

Antaeus clutched his hands to his heart. "Oh, my! She seems devoted to you. Are you and your sister close?"

"Very. Our mother hasn't been around much, and she's had her hands full raising me. Still, I think that she's done an amazing job."

Antaeus nodded. "Another example of a wonderful sibling relationship! Aren't are tributes just marvelous?"

The audience cheered again. Jason smiled out at them, and they cheered louder. Jason took a moment to marvel at the power that he had.

"So, any big plans for the Games?" Antaeus asked.

"I have an all—" Jason stopped himself. He had let himself get caught in the moment, but he couldn't do that anymore! Thalia had warned him to be smart. His alliance might have been his biggest advantage, and he couldn't reveal that!

"Yes?" Antaeus prompted.

"Nothing," Jason said, feeling like an idiot.

Too soon, it was time for Ella to go on. She shuffled out onto stage, feeling off-balance, but the crowd seemed to love her outfit. They cheered wildly for her. Ella was wearing a red dress with different layers made out of feathers, but the real kicker was what was on her back. Ella wore a set of red wings and bobbed up and down with each step. They made sitting down a struggle, but the audience was going crazy for them. Antaeus, too was clapping ( _A clapping commentator is a sign that a tribute or costume is particularly good, Mentor Iris, yesterday)._

"Ella, our youngest tribute! You look amazing, just like a bird!"

"Ella is wearing wings, therefore Ella is a bird. Birds have wings, wings are on birds. Birds, birds, birds."

Antaeus looked slightly surprised by this. "Er, yes! Birds!"

"Birds," Ella agreed.

Antaeus looked eager to change the subject. "Well, Ella, how are you feeling?"

"Ella feels fine."

"Because you know that you are projected as having some of the worst chances."

 _Ella has bad chances, Ella will die, die, die, die—_ "Young tributes often die because of natural disadvantages, both physical and mental, but they are not to be underestimated. Case example: Artemis Olympia, a 12-year-old who shot her way to victory with a bow. Tributes, page 32."

There was silence in the room, an impressive feat for an amphitheater full of people. Ella became aware of everyone watching her, staring, not least Octavian from 2.

"Ella, did you just…quote that from somewhere?"

"Yes."

"Well, she may be young, but she's talented!" Antaeus announced as if Jason had not told Ella that himself. "So, Ella, tell us about your family."

"Ella has many sisters."

"I bet they're proud of you!"

"Maybe. They are mean to Ella. They tell Ella mean things."

"Oh, no! That's horrible! I suppose that the Capitol must be a welcome change."

Ella shrugged. "Iris is good. Jason is good. Cinnamon rolls are good. Cheese is bad. Dying is bad."

Antaeus looked uncomfortable, but the buzzer rang at that moment, so he was in the clear. Clovis stumbled out onto stage. 22 times 26…2…572! But was that right? Clovis couldn't be sure. 22 times 27…

"Clovis Sonan, another tribute with a low score! Now, Clovis, a 1 is actually impressive, almost as rare as an 11! How did you get that?"

The lights of the stage were too bright and the noises that could have been loud were too muted. Clovis knew that he was going to fall asleep, he just knew it…but somehow he made it over to the chair.

"I tried…" he mumbled out, knowing that he should have said something else, but not willing to figure out what it should have been.

"Clovis, are you feeling alright?"

7 times 2 is 14, put down 4, carry 1… "Yes, I'm fine."

"Well, it would be a regret if you weren't feeling fine tomorrow, considering that that's when the Games start!"

The audience cheered, for some reason. It sounded like water swishing around in Clovis's head. This were fading out quick. 594! It was 594!

"I think…"

What did he think?

The buzzer rang then, somehow. Clovis didn't understand how his time was up. Had it been three minutes? Maybe it was for the best…Clovis stumbled on his way out.

Rachel entered, still worried about Clovis. She stumble a bit on the edge of her long, flowy gold dress. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare!" Antaeus announced. "So, tell us about yourself. I understand that your father is William Dare, head of Dare Enterprises. What's that like?"

Rachel and her mentor Sybil had discussed this question. Sybil had warned her to act like the perfect daughter, that saying the truth would affect her and her father negatively, but Rachel didn't want to lie, not now, not when she could be dead soon. Her father was a terrible person who terrorized the district, and she wasn't going to lie and say that she loved being her dad's daughter, not when everyone back home hated her for it.

"It's been a weird ride," she told Antaeus instead. "I know I'm lucky to live in a family where there's always enough money, but my dad is always really distant, and to be honest, I think he likes the idea of a daughter more than the real deal."

"Oh, my!" Antaeus said. "Wow! That sounds awful! This is an interesting look into the life of an important businessman!"

Right. As of now, they cared more about what she could tell them about her father than what she could say about herself. "Well, I'm my own person," Rachel said. "I like painting. I always try to speak my mind instead of hiding who I am. I like people. I won't deny that I like luxury, but I don't think that it's needed."

Antaeus didn't look so happy with that statement. "Really. Well, let's talk Games…"

But Rachel was on a roll. "To be honest, I don't think that it's fair how some people always group me with my father—they're like, oh, just because I'm rich, I must be a terrible person. Well, I know that I might not be able to understand what they're going through, but I don't exactly enjoy being a social pariah either." Tears burned in Rachel's eyes. "I'd appreciate it if people didn't judge me."

Antaeus patted Rachel on the back. "Rachel, I think we can all understand how that feels. Here in the Capitol, we try to be supportive of our fellow citizens, but people are still left out."

 _Oh really? You're all idiots! None of you can understand what the districts are like, you just pretend to and pretend to be supportive because it makes you feel like better people!_

Rachel's buzzer rang, and crying slightly, she left the stage.

 **Tributes and Ages:**

 **D1: Castor Bordeax, 18; Nancy Bobofit, 18**

 **D2: Octavian Hill, 16; Reyna, 17**

 **D3: Leo Valdez, 14; Annabeth Chase, 16**

 **D4: Percy Jackson, 17; Clarisse La Rue, 18**

 **D5: Jason Grace, 15; Ella Harrison, 13**

 **D6: Clovis Sonan, 15; Rachel Dare, 17**

 **D7: Grover Underwood, 18; Calypso Aterra, 18**

 **D8: Ethan Nakamura, 16; Piper Mclean, 15**

 **D9: Will Solace, 16; Lou Ellen Lerner, 15**

 **D10: Frank Zhang, 17; Hazel Levesque, 17**

 **D11: Connor Stoll, 16; Katie Gardner, 18**

 **D12: Nico di Angelo, 14; Zoe Nightshade, 18**


	10. Interviews (Part 2)

Calypso was the next tribute to go onstage. She wore a flowing white dress with gold designs on it. "So, how do you feel about going into the Games?" Antaeus asked.

"You're not the first person to have wondered that," Calypso replied, wincing internally at how stupid it sounded.

"Now, now, Miss Aterra, you're evading the question!"

"It was a surprise."

Antaeus laughed. "I'm sure that it was! How do you feel now that you're in the Capitol?"

"It's a beautiful, city, but it can't compare to home."

"Oh, really? What do you do in District Seven?"

"I work as an apothecary."

Antaeus looked at the audience with an overly flabbergasted expression. "What exactly does that entail?"

"I try to heal people in the district. Basically, I'm a doctor."

"Wow! Do you think that'll help you in the Games?"

"Probably."

Calypso thought that the interview wasn't going badly. The questions Antaeus asked her were menial, and she had an answer for all of them. Things got a little shaky when it got to the subject of family, but Calypso gave an anecdote about her mother and avoided the topic of her father completely.

After all, wasn't that easier than facing the truth?

Grover went on after Calypso, feeling shaky. His stylists had given him a weird hat to wear that kept flopping in his eyes. He sat down in the chair next to Antaeus. "So, Grover, we heard your girlfriend calling after you at the Reaping," he said. "Care to tell us about her?"

It almost felt like too personal of a topic. "Her name's Juniper, and she's amazing. Kind, funny, caring, just perfect."

"It sounds like you really love her."

"I do."

Antaeus placed his hand on his heart. "I bet you're really fighting to get home to her, then."

Grover took a deep breath, bracing himself. He had to explain to Juniper why he wasn't going to come home before his body went back to District 7 in a casket. "Actually, I'm not planning on going home," Grover said.

You could hear a pin drop. Grover took this as a sign that he should continue. "I want to protect Calypso. I think that she could do some real good in the district. I want her to make it home. It's the hardest decision I've ever made, and I hope that Juniper understands."

The audience remained silent, and Grover knew in that instant that he had said something wrong. The buzzer rang then, and Grover _knew_ that his time wasn't up yet, it hadn't been three minutes! This was his last chance to say goodbye to Juniper, but he hadn't said enough yet, he had to tell her how much he loved her, there was no going back and he could be dead tomorrow!

Too soon, it was time for Piper to go onstage. The audience was still quiet, but they laughed when Piper tripped on her long bluish dress on her way to the chair. Her hair had been expertly styled into a single braid over her shoulder, and she was wearing enough makeup for all of the tributes. All in all, Piper felt awful. She hated girly stuff. Her mother had always loved it, but then again, she hadn't been the best role model.

"So, Piper! You're the daughter of Tristan Mclean, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am!" Piper said, trying to act enthusiastic. Drew had told her to act like she loved everyone and everything and to show off her looks. "But my mentor is Drew Tanaka, not my dad."

"I'm sure that your dad is glad that you get the chance to compete this year!"

Piper swallowed. "I hope that he is!"

"Do you two have a good relationship?"

"I'm not really sure if I'm allowed to judge that myself."

"Do you spend a lot of time together?"

"…Yes." Piper hoped that her lie hadn't been too obvious.

"I'm sure that he had a lot of helpful pointers for you."

"Yeah! Well, Drew was a big help too."

"Yes, you must know that your mentor is one of the more popular Victors." Piper guessed that the people of the Capitol weren't able to see how vindictive and manipulative her mentor was.

"Are you ready for the Games tomorrow?"

 _No!_

"Yes."

Ethan couldn't see the audience as he walked towards Antaeus, and that made him nervous. He could hear them, but they remained out of his vision. He turned his head. They were grotesque, covered in crazy costumes and paint. They were pointing at him, at his eyepatch. Tristan had told him not to take his eyepatch off, but why should he pay attention to that asshole anyway? He obviously favorited his daughter over Ethan. Ethan lifted his eyepatch slightly, flashing the audience with the sight of his ruined eye.

Antaeus looked a bit disgusted too. Was he going to make Ethan look bad because of that? He was, wasn't he! He was in cahoots with Castor as well! They all were! Ethan hated Castor even more after tonight, volunteering for money! Ethan would have been happy with even a fraction of the money that Castor's family must have had! But Castor couldn't appreciate anything!

"So, how did you get that?" Antaeus asked.

"Street fight," Ethan snarled back.

"Well, you seem like a hostile tribute! Are you ready for the Games?"

"First of all, I'm only as hostile as I need to be, especially when I look at a freak like _you._ Second of all, I was _born_ ready."

The audience didn't seem to know how to respond to this. Ethan didn't make another noise, just glared mutely forward. Antaeus tried to engage him again, but Ethan ignored him. He could see Tristan, glaring back at him. He could see the begging in Tristan's eyes, asking him to be slightly more of a good little tribute that the Capitol could laugh at. Tristan was just another one of their pawns, just like Castor, just like Hazel, just like Antaeus, just like Alabaster and Atlas and Luke for not volunteering! Tristan would never understand what it was like to be Ethan! He'd never see the horror of the Games for what they truly were, never, never!

Well, maybe he'd understand the horror once Ethan ripped his daughter's guts out.

Lou loved her dress. It had gigantic sleeves and ballooned out around her and made her feel loose and free. Her hair had been styled up into a bun, but it had streaks of green and pink running through it, which Lou loved. The bird in her sleeve pecked her arm, but Lou ignored that.

Poor Antaeus looked freaked out. The last three tributes hadn't been great, Lou could understand that. Ethan had even freaked out her, and that wasn't the easiest thing to do.

"So, Lou Ellen Lerner," Antaeus began. "Tell us about yourself."

Lou smiled at the audience. "Well, I'm from District Nine. I have two sisters, Naomi and Pasiphae. And I like preforming magic tricks."

"Really? That sounds fun. When did you learn that?"

"My sisters taught me how, although they don't have much appreciation for it now. Here, let me show you!" Lou moved her hands around, stroking her sleeve and coaxing the dove to the edge. In one deft movement, she pulled the dove out of "nowhere" and let it fly into the air.

"That's amazing!" said Antaeus. "How did you do that?"

"The hand is quicker than the eye."

"If you had a catchphrase, would that be it?"

Lou laughed. "Yes." She imagined Naomi at home, shaking her head in exasperation. Pasiphae would be watching with her husband and son. She had Lou had never been as close, but Lou liked to imagine that she would have been proud of her for being able to complete that magic trick.

"Well, that's certainly an impressive talent. You said that your sisters taught you? Are you close?"

"Absolutely. Well, Pasiphae is about 10 years older than me, but she was always amazing when I was growing up, and then she got married. Naomi is only two years older than me, and we've always been close, but over the last few years we've gotten our own lives."

"You said that Naomi was two years older? That would make her 17, right? Why didn't she volunteer?"

Lou didn't let this stun her into silence. "I don't know. But I hope that she doesn't get Reaped next year."

"You're a wonderful sister."

"Thanks."

Lou's timer rang. "From District Nine, Lou Ellen Lerner!"

Will went out on stage feeling relatively confident. Lou had done a pretty good job with her interview, though the bird had come as a surprise to him. Antaeus greeted him enthusiastically. "Will Solace, everyone!"

"It's nice to meet you, Antaeus."

"It's great to meet you, Will! Let's get started. How do you feel about your district partner?"

Lou seemed to have made a big splash. "She's my friend. We've actually been friends for a while."

"It must be awful to go into the Games with her, then!"

Will kept back a sarcastic comment: _No, it's so much fun! We get to fight each other and hurt each other and maybe kill each other!_ But instead, Will went with a simpler answer. "Yeah, it kind of stinks."

"Are there any other tributes that have caught your eye?"

Nico from 12 kind of scared him, but at the same time, Will wanted to learn more about him. "They're all pretty nice."

"What a vague answer! Anyone specific?"

"Not really."

"Alright, then! Changing gears. Tell us about your home life."

"I have a twin brother named Austin and an 11-year-old sister named Kayla."

"She'll be Reapable next year! You must be worried."

"Yeah, I worry for her a lot. But she's tough. She'll make it through…" Will trailed off. Make it through what? The Games? His own death?

"What about friends?"

"I have a friend named Cecil. He's great, but don't trust him."

Antaeus laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. So you, him, Austin, and Lou Ellen made up a group, is that right?"

That wasn't right at all. Cecil was friends with both of them, but Lou and he hadn't been that close for a few years, not since she and Austin had started fighting. "Yeah, sure."

"Any girls you're trying to get home to?"

"Well, there's Kayla."

"Aren't you a funny guy! Any girls beside your sister, I mean? A handsome guy like you must have someone."

"Not romantically. I'm friends with girls, but just friends."

Antaeus looked surprised at that, like he wanted to say more, but the buzzer cut him off. "Your boy from Nine, everyone!"

Hazel wore a simple white dress. Her hair had been pushed back, but still hung down. She felt exposed as she walked onto the stage. Mama was watching her now, maybe not in her right mind, but still watching, judging her. So was everyone else in the district. They were ready to ridicule her if she did something wrong. Still, despite the fact that she could die tomorrow, she felt freer than she had been in the schoolroom with all of her peers. What they thought of her didn't matter anymore. It would never matter again.

"Hazel Levesque, you're looking beautiful tonight!" Antaeus told her.

"Thank you," Hazel replied.

"How are you liking the Capitol?"

"It's a beautiful city," said Hazel, trying to be flattering. Her mentor Hecuba had told her to play to the Capitolians' arrogance.

"Yes, but it must be different from District Ten!"

"That's true," Hazel admitted. "District Ten has a lot more open space. Still, this place is just…amazing." She didn't have to fully lie when it came to that. The Capitol was an amazing place no doubt, with its advanced technology and high buildings and statues out everywhere. Still, it could never compare to the way it felt to be on Arion, riding free across the plains.

"Is there anyone that you miss from home?"

"Arion."

"Who's that?"

"My horse."

The audience laughed. Fear bubbled inside of Hazel, but she willed it away. It wasn't that they hated her and wanted to be mean. It was just that she had surprised them.

"He must be an amazing horse for you to miss him!"

"He is." _Oh, Arion._ Hazel wished that she had her friend here with her. Arion seemed to give her strength.

"What about your family?"

"It's just me and my mother."

"You must miss her."

"I do." Hazel missed the old Marie, the one that had been happy and vibrant and caring. Morphling had stolen Mama's brain, along with her stupid morphling dealer, Terra.

"What about your father?"

Hazel shrugged. "I'm not sure where he is."

The audience made one big noise of sympathy. Antaeus patted her hand. "I'm sorry about that, Hazel. What about friends?"

"I didn't have very many friends."

"I can't imagine that! You're a very sweet young woman. What about a boyfriend?"

All that Hazel could call to memory when it came to boys was Frank, smiling and laughing and looking happy, Frank crying at his mother's death, Frank puzzling over a math problem, Frank looking scared when it came to Arion, Frank being her friend. All of the kids back home always grouped her and Frank together, tried to push them into a relationship, _look at the freaks! Don't they go well together?_ Hazel didn't want to prove them right.

Still, Hazel needed to tell the audience how she felt about Frank, to give them a reason to sponsor her, but she couldn't pull up the courage. What if Frank didn't feel the same way? So many things could go wrong.

"No boyfriend."

"Anyone you've been considering?"

Hazel laughed, the sound hurting her. "Now Antaeus! Why would I tell you that?"

Frank listened to the sound of Hazel's laughter. He was glad that she hadn't said she liked one of those stronger, handsomer boys from home. Still, a part of him wished that she had said she liked him as much as he loved her. He knew that it was a stupid wish. They could both be dead in a week! Still, wasn't that a reason to take advantage of the time offered?

If only they hadn't been Reaped. They could have been safe and happy back home. Frank could've gotten up the courage to tell her and they could have lived a happy life, but no! instead their time was almost up.

Hazel's buzzer sounded, and Frank walked onto stage. His suit didn't look so bad on him, but he still felt self-concious in it. He hated how he allowed himself to feel so flawed just because of his body shape. Still, he couldn't stop himself.

"Frank Zhang, our boy from Ten! Tell us, how do you feel about going into the Games?"

"I—" Frank's voice sounded too high and squeaky. Frank took a breath and tried again. "I'm a bit scared."

Frank could almost hear his mentor Shen groaning. Shen had said that Frank wasn't strong enough to get sponsors, despite his okay training score, and told him to act arrogant. Frank just couldn't do that. _Be true to yourself,_ Grandmother had told him angrily, almost as if she expected him to turn into a liar as soon as he was out of her sight. _Remember who you are. Do not shame me._

"Well, that makes sense. There are some mighty scary people out here!"

Namely, the Careers. The girls from 2 and 4 scared Frank, and the guy from 2 just seemed completely unhinged, from what Frank had seen in training. The girl from 1 was just a bully. "I'm not so much worried about individual people as the Games in general."

Frank imagined Grandmother glaring at the TV. _Frank, you oaf!_ she would say. _I told you to be honest, not disgrace yourself!_

"Do you have a plan?"

Frank opted for a shrug. His heart was racing.

"What do you think about your district partner? She's very nice, from what I can see."

"Hazel and I are friends."

"Oh, another pair of friends in the Games! How long have you two known each other?"

"Years. We were born within weeks of each other, and our mothers were friends. They worked in the same butchery." Frank internally winced, not sure if the people in the Capitol liked the term. Still, weren't the Games the ultimate slaughterhouse?

"Wow! You must be really close, then."

"Yeah. We are." Grandmother would have pursed her lips at this answer. She liked Hazel well enough.

"What about your family? What's your relationship with them?"

"Like Hazel, I'm not sure where my dad is. That's one of the things that our mothers bonded over."

"Are you close to your mother?"

"She died when I was two."

"Oh no! How?"

"In the Games." Frank knew that he shouldn't have let this piece of information slip. It was too private, too personal. Anyone that had a good memory of the last 20 years would know it, but not he had explicitly told the whole world!

"Why, then she must have been, what, seventeen when you were born?"

"Yeah. She had me when she was seventeen, and then got Reaped a year later. I live with my grandmother."

"Poor you! Can you remember anything about your mother?"

Frank's eyes burned, but he refused to cry. It was true that he could barely remember his mother. He only knew her face from photo albums and from watching her Games when the reruns were on. He could remember her earthy smell and a bit of laughter, but that was it. Grandmother never really wanted to talk about her dead daughter Emily Zhang.

"I remember that she loved me."

"Your Grandmother must be feeling terrible."

Frank's buzzer allowed him to flee before he started crying. Yes, Grandmother must have been feeling awful. Her daughter, and now her only grandson, would both perish in the Games.

Katie called upon all of the anger that she could and tried to use it to build something: a wall, a façade, a mask, a face that the Capitol would have like rather than her own fear. She glared at the floor as she walked onto stage, stepping strong.

"Katie Gardner, our volunteer from Eleven!" Antaeus announced. _God, what an idiot. I bet that he burns down his house with his perkiness on a weekly basis._

"Yeah, that's me," Katie said. Her mentor had walked out of the room after it became clear that Katie wasn't going to cooperate with her stupid demands for an "interview angle." Pomona had just sighed and said that if it was anger that Katie wanted, they could work with it.

"So, what made you volunteer." _What. A. Moron._

"I love my sister. That's all that there is to it."

Somehow, the audience seemed to like this answer. "Yes, you really must be devoted to your sister. Tell us about her."

"Her name is Miranda. She works in the orchards. Her favorite color is orange. She picks wildflower sometimes and puts them in a jar on the table. If she had a choice between flowers and food, sometimes I think that she'd go with the flowers." _Not that you losers would know what a choice like that means, you lazy, stupid…ugh!_

"Do you two have parents?"

"Of course we have parents!"

"Are they alive?"

"No! It's just me and Miranda!"

"It would be awful if either one of you were to lose the other."

"Well—" Katie clamped her mouth shut. She wasn't going to answer another one of these stupid questions.

"Do you have any plans for the Games?"

"No."

"Any friends that you made among the other tributes?"

 _Idiots, all of them._ "No."

"What about your district partner? Is there anything that you like about him?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"What makes you special?"

What kind of stupid question was that?! Katie shouldn't have to answer idiotic questions made by idiotic people with their stupid outfits and stupid food. "Everyone is special. I'm special just by being me."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

Antaeus laughed. "I look forward to seeing you in the Games, Katie Gardner!"

Connor knew that Katie's interview had been a trainwreck, which he couldn't help but feel some happiness at. She was such a jerk most of the time, it was nice to see her get called out on it for once. Connor prepared himself for his interview. Mentor Luke had told him to act like the perfect foil to Katie. Where she was mean, he would be nice. Where she was angry, he would be happy and peaceful. Honestly, Connor looked forward to this. It would be nice to see if he could put one over the people of the Capitol.

Connor waved out at the audience as he strode on, smiling widely. The cheers, tentative at first, grew. "Hey!" Connor greeted Antaeus, practically bouncing up and down on his seat, grinning.

"Hello, Connor! I must say, your district partner seems a bit rude. What's it been like living with that for the last week?"

Connor took a deep breath. "Well, Katie seems mean, but she's nice on the inside, just like everyone else! I think that she's worried and that's why she acts like a meanie all of the time. She just needs to talk to people every once in a while! Yup!"

Connor's persona was faker than a plastic flower, but the audience seemed to love it. As it turned out, Luke had some idea of what he was doing. How much lying was that guy doing?

"I bet you're right, Connor. So, tell us about yourself!"

"I'm named Connor Stoll! I don't have parents either. I have a brother named Travis, and I work in the fields! I have lots of friends and a girlfriend named…Tulip." Connor hoped that his little slip-up hadn't been noticed. He didn't have that many friends or a girlfriend, but no one needed to know that. As long as he was lying to everyone, he might go big.

"Do you miss your brother?"

"Yeah! I hope that he's doing okay!" Connor imagined what he would actually tell Travis. _Travis, you fucking idiot, you might have been trying to protect me but instead you sent me to my death, Katie the asshole was at least brave enough to volunteer for her sister, so are you kidding me?_ Instead, Connor smiled at a camera.

"So, we've all been wondering what was going on at your Reaping. There was somebody screaming, wasn't there?"

"Yeah, it was this weird guy. Sorry, but I don't think that it had anything to do with me." Connor imagined the guy seething. Further, further. "I think that he's kind of crazy. He lives under a tree."

Antaeus laughed. "Well, I'm glad that it didn't have anything to do with a nice guy like you!"

"Me too!"

Connor's interview wasn't the worst of the night. Connor was glad that he could at least have the fun of making fun of the people in the Capitol, although they didn't know it. They really were idiots. Connor wondered how many of his fellow tributes had realized that his act was just that—an act. He wondered if Katie knew.

Zoe was dressed in a short silver dress with black leggings. Her mentor had told her stylist to dress her in something that made her look strong, to play up her training score. Persephone could be an insufferable person sometimes, but she had at least made a good decision when it came to that. Zoe would have preferred to have a quiver of arrows on her back or a knife in her hand, but that could come later. Zoe reminded herself that she was safe for now, despite the fact that that— _male—_ was the interviewer.

"Zoe Nightshade, our highest scoring tribute!" Antaeus announced as Zoe took her seat. He seemed to be happy. The previous tribute had been overly happy and enthusiastic, a foolish male through and through. Zoe suspected that it might have been a front, but if so, the male had done an above average job at being convincing. Zoe wondered what the male 11 had done in his life to make him so good at trickery. He might have been dangerous.

"Zoe, tell us about why you volunteered."

Zoe bristled. The male dare ask her for her reasons? She was infinitely better than him! None of the Capitol audience deserved an explanation from her! Zoe shrugged stiffly. "Because it was the right thing."

None of the audience seemed to know how to take this answer. Antaeus quickly asked his next question. "Did you know the girl you volunteered for at all?"

"Vaguely."

"Were you friends."

"I am unsure."

"Is there anyone at home that you're fighting to get back to?"

"The general population of District Twelve, to be honest."

"Wow! You must really love your district."

Zoe _hated_ her district, or at least, the males in it. She volunteered because she was without family, without friends, a broken and bitter person who deserved death more than any of the little girls that could have been Reaped. Zoe would fight hard and bring down retribution upon the foolish males who would take advantage of her, who threw away their lives to volunteer.

"Yes."

"Are you also going to answer all of my questions with yes or no?"

The audience was laughing. Fools. What passed for humor here was dry and meaningless.

"Perhaps. It depends on whether I see the question as worth answering."

"You seem like a person who knows what you want in life."

"Yes."

"So, give us a hint to how you got that score. Eleven! That's pretty crazy, especially for someone from Twelve. Are you going to break your district's Victorless streak?"

"I certainly hope so."

"And the score?"

"A result of my talent."

"Give me details!" Antaeus practically begged. "That's the second 11 to be scored in Hunger Games history! You've made the history books already!"

"I am glad to hear it."

Nico watched with rage as Zoe talked about her high score, her _talent,_ watching as the Capitol watched her. The difference was that the Capitol believed that Zoe was just aloof, maybe nice on the inside, maybe the Victor that they wanted.

Meanwhile, Nico knew the truth. Zoe was a murderer. He could expose her to the whole of Panem, but that seemed so impersonal. The vendetta that he had for Zoe was a very personal thing. He wanted to be addressing her specifically as he confronted her about her misdeeds, not telling the whole nation at once. Plus, as much as Nico hated to admit it, Zoe would kill him before he could kill her if she knew of his grudge.

Zoe's time ended, and Nico went onto the stage. "And another volunteer from Twelve!" Antaeus said. "Ladies and gentlemen, we might be seeing the start of a trend! Nico, tell us why you volunteered."

Nico stayed silent for a few moments, dark eyes staring off to some small point in the distance. "…It was the right thing to do."

Antaeus laughed. "Well, you and your partner seem to be two peas in a pod!"

"Don't say that ever again."

Antaeus, not to mention everyone else, couldn't have missed the dangerous note in his voice. Nico cursed himself. He had to be smart about this if he wanted to avenge Bianca.

"Any family?" Antaeus asked.

Nico shook his head. "It's only me."

"What happened to your parents?"

"They died."

"Who raised you? Do you have any siblings?"

"My sister Bianca raised me. But then she died."

"Oh no! How did that happen?"

"She went into the Games two years ago and died on the first day." Nico remembered Bianca, sitting in the Justice Building as he was given ten minutes to say his goodbyes. He had asked her, again and again, why she had volunteered. Bianca had said that it was to help the district and to help them both get a leg up in life. She had explained that they were orphans, and that there were other kids out there with parents and more friends than either of them who deserved to live. That Celyn, the girl who had been Reaped, had a big family that loved her. Her friend Zoe had explained all of that to her. Bianca had promised to come back.

She had lied.

"I remember her," Antaeus said thoughtfully. "She was the twelve-year-old who volunteered." He shook his head, chuckling. "Poor girl. Didn't even make it through the first hour."

Nico shook with rage. "Yes. She died."

"And that's why you volunteered?"

Nico gave a bitter smile. "I have some unfinished business in the Arena."

His interview ended there. The curtains fell on the stage as applause broke out through the room. Nico stood up, legs shaking, and headed for the elevator along with the 23 other tributes. He went into an elevator and pressed the "close" button.

But the doors didn't close fast enough. The boy from 9 jumped into the elevator before the doors closed. Nico moved over to the wall and stared resolutely forward, hoping that the boy wouldn't engage him.

It was to no avail. "Do you have something against Zoe?" he asked.

Nico didn't turn his head. "It's none of your business."

"So you do."

"Can I _help_ you?" Nico snarled.

"Look, Nico. Holding grudges is dangerous. You need to let go of all that and protect yourself once those Games start."

"I didn't ask for your help!"

Will didn't know why he was pushing the point. Nico had made it obvious that he didn't want help. Still, Will couldn't stop himself. He and Lou Ellen had made an alliance, but there was something about this boy. Austin had warned him that it was in his nature to try and help people, and that he couldn't let that part of himself be what led to his downfall. Austin would probably roll his eyes and grumble if he could see Will now.

"You didn't ask. But you _need_ help."

"What, from you?"

"Yes, from me!"

"You'll be trying to kill me in less than 24 hours!"

Nico's yell left silence in the elevator. Will noticed that his body language had changed. He had shifted so that he was looking at Will, glaring, leaning slightly forward as if he wanted to attack.

"No, I won't, Nico," Will said. "I'm not that kind of person."

"You might not be now. But later…"

"I won't kill you. Promise."

Nico shook his head, glaring at Will, and turned away.

It was time for Will to get off of the elevator, anyway.

XXXXX

Across the building, in another elevator, Percy and Annabeth were stuck together. Percy had opted not to take the elevator with the rest of the Careers, and Annabeth had only narrowly avoided getting on the elevator that held her hyperactive district partner and the crazy kid from 8.

"Why did you volunteer?" Annabeth suddenly asked, cursing herself for engaging such a threat to her life.

Percy looked surprised. "Are you talking to me?"

Annabeth didn't answer, but Percy quickly corrected himself. "I mean, obviously you're talking to me. I don't know…I mean, I do know. It's because if I win, everything will work out for me."

"Do you really believe that? You think that being a Victor will magically solve every problem you've ever had?"

Percy scratched the back of his neck. "Well, um…"

"Why did you really volunteer, Percy?"

 _Why did I volunteer?_ Percy wondered. _So many of the kids here would give anything to go back home, so why did I throw it all away?_

"I don't know. I guess…"

Annabeth looked annoyed with him. "You must have some reason."

Percy had a feeling that Annabeth thought he was an idiot. He wanted to prove her wrong. He had never been the smartest in school, but if he couldn't act smart to another tribute, what chance did he have? "I don't know, Annabeth! I guess…it's just so normal there, you know?"

"So that's your reason? It's just normal?"

"Well…" Percy realized that he had said something wrong. He was not impressing or intimidating Annabeth at all. He wished that he wasn't stuck in an elevator with her.

"Basically, you were told to volunteer, and you did."

From the expression on Percy's face, Annabeth knew she was right. It was nice to know this about the Career. He followed orders well. But could he think for himself? "In other words, you didn't choose to. You live in a district where volunteering is commonplace and coveted, and didn't bother considering the negative ramifications."

 _"What?"_

Annabeth smirked. She had expected her language to go over Percy's head, but not by this much. "Whatever, Percy."

Percy grabbed her arm. Annabeth yanked it out of his grasp. "Don't touch me!"

"I'm sorry! I just wanted to say that I can think for myself! I don't think it's fair for you to judge me like that based off one sentence!"

"I'm not judging you. I'm just…observing."

"Well, stop it!"

"Stop what?"

Percy sighed. "Look, my dad—he's a trainer. He always wanted to go into the Games, but never did. My little brother Tyson idolizes me. He thinks that I can win."

"The pressure of your father and fear that your little brother would think less of you drove you into a death match."

Percy didn't want to answer that statement. He already felt bad enough. He wasn't sure why he had admitted to Annabeth the reason for his volunteering.

But Annabeth kept talking this time. "To be honest, the whole family thing? I get that. My dad never gave me much attention. It made me act out. I have little brothers too, and while I kind of hate them, they believe in me. I don't want to let them down."

"I know you think that I'm just a dumb Career."

Annabeth fixed Percy in her gaze. Percy noted that her eyes were a strange shade of gray, almost like the storm clouds over the ocean on rainy days.

"I'll prove you wrong," Percy said. "I'll prove you wrong."

 **Tributes and Ages:**

 **D1: Castor Bordeax, 18; Nancy Bobofit, 18  
D2: Octavian Hill, 16; Reyna, 17  
D3: Leo Valdez, 14; Annabeth Chase, 16  
D4: Percy Jackson, 17; Clarisse La Rue, 18  
D5: Jason Grace, 15; Ella Harrison, 13  
D6: Clovis Sonan, 15; Rachel Dare, 17  
D7: Grover Underwood, 18; Calypso Aterra, 18  
D8: Ethan Nakamura, 16; Piper Mclean, 15  
D9: Will Solace, 16; Lou Ellen Lerner, 15  
D10: Frank Zhang, 17; Hazel Levesque, 17  
D11: Connor Stoll, 16; Katie Gardner, 18  
D12: Nico di Angelo, 14; Zoe Nightshade, 18**

 **If anyone has any suggestions for who should die or about the general writing quality, I'd be glad to hear them.**


	11. Countdown

Nancy's tribute plate rose through the ground into a large room surrounded by metal walls with doors every so often. The ground was metal, too. To her left was Hazel, next to her was Will. Easy pickings. To her other side was Lou Ellen, and then Octavian. Nancy hoped that the scarecrow could hold his own, although it wouldn't have been a big disaster if he died! Nancy's lips curled up into a smile. This was going to be fun.

 _58…57…_

Castor's tribute plate locked into place. He had heard all about the Games and thought that he was ready for them, but now, he felt afraid. He noticed Ethan four plates to the left, glaring at him. For the first time, Castor considered the possibility that Ethan could kill him—that he could die! Pollux had been right. This was insane. Castor closed his eyes and thought of his brother.

 _56…55…_

Reyna couldn't locate Octavian or Clarisse. They were in the part of her vision blocked by the Cornucopia. However, Nancy was just in her field of vision, looking excited. Castor had his eyes closed a few plates away from her. What was he doing? Percy was another few plates away from her, staring at the Cornucopia. Reyna located all of the exits to the room. They would have to be closed. She caught Percy's eye and jerked her head towards an exit. She hoped he got the message to block it.

 _54…53…_

Octavian realized he was shaking and stopped himself. He couldn't show weakness, not here, not now. He was located near the tail end of the Cornucopia. He wouldn't be able to get supplies from the interior of the golden horn in time to kill anyone, but a pair of knives shone right next to the Cornucopia. Those were his. To his right was Ella, and to his left Lou. Neither of them could hold him back. No one could!

 _52…51…_

Annabeth tried to remain calm and keep her breathing under control as she looked around her. A side of the Cornucopia was directly in front of her. To her back was an exit. There were two other exits at right angles from the one behind her, that probably meant that there was one on the other side of the Cornucopia, too. The people next to her, however, where the worst possible. Percy stood to her left, past him, Ethan. Zoe was to her right, with Castor past her. She was surrounded by Careers and people who were most dangerous to her! Suddenly, Percy caught her eye. Annabeth remembered his words from the previous night: "I'll prove you wrong." But would he kill her despite that?

 _50…49…_

There was a hammer not too far from where Leo was standing, and while it wasn't really a weapon, Leo at least knew how to use it. He was beginning to regret doing so much goofing off during his training time. Going for the hammer would probably be the smartest thing—oh, look! There was Piper! She was four plates away from him, past Scary Nico, that kid Clovis, and Connor. Leo wheeled his head around, looking for Jason. He was four plates away, too, past…Reyna. Leo's heart started beating faster. That girl was more than capable of killing him! But he needed a weapon! What was he going to do?

 _48…47…_

So this was it. After twelve years of training, Clarisse had finally made it to the Hunger Games. She had scored second-highest, after the annoying girl from 12, and was fully prepared to take on everyone and win. Clarisse was standing between Ella and Rachel, neither of whom were threats to her. Octavian and Nancy were within shouting distance, although Reyna was invisible and Castor was hard to locate. There was an exit behind her, too. Clarisse couldn't let any of these punks escape. She had to win this. For Silena.

 _46…45…_

Percy was standing next to Annabeth. He made eye contact with her, nodding slightly. She looked back at him. Percy wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Reyna had gestured to the exit, so he needed to block that, but how would he do it without a weapon? Then his answer came. There was a bronze sword glittering in the mouth of the Cornucopia, not too far away. He could sprint over there and sprint back to the exit killing all who tried to escape…but that thought made him sick. Hadn't he told Clarisse that they all should have an equal chance? He was stronger than most of the people in the room. It didn't seem fair to kill them all in their mad dash for life. Was he supposed to kill little Ella? Calypso, whose district needed her? Annabeth?

 _44…43…_

 _A lot can be determined by where a tribute initially stands. If they stand between two people who are not deemed a threat, then their chance increases. If they stand between two people with higher scores, then their chance is worse, Hunger Games Protocol, page 45._ If that was true, then Ella was in trouble, big big trouble, because Ella was between Clarisse and Octavian, who were both Careers. Ella should not try and get a backpack or supplies because Ella was to the back of the Cornucopia where she would have to loop all the way around to get anything. There were supplies scattered out away from the Cornucopia, of course, but nothing valuable. The only thing close to her was a sharp rock. Ella did not want a sharp rock. Then, of course, there was the exit behind her. That was the safest route, the route for life, and life was good. Ella had to escape.

 _42…41…_

To his right, Castor. To his left, Katie. And in front of Jason was the very corner of the golden horn, barely 40 feet away. It would have been easy to run up and grab something before running away, but Reyna the Career was close to him in addition to Castor, and Jason knew that it could be dangerous. Still, a weapon and supplies could save his life. Jason frantically looked for his allies. Leo was on the other side of Reyna, unreachable. Piper was hard to locate, but Jason finally saw her near the other corner of the Horn. Should they run in? Should they stay out? Leo was looking at something in front of him, but Piper caught his eye. Slowly, she nodded.

 _40…39…_

Rachel felt incredibly sick and thought that she might have thrown up, which wouldn't have been a good idea with all of the mines at her feet. She wondered if her father was watching right now. Was he feeling proud of her? He was probably barely paying attention, still in his office, working. What about everyone else in the district? They were counting down with her, watching and waiting, maybe hoping for her death but knowing that without her, District 6 wouldn't have a Victor. Rachel was sick and tired of worrying about what they thought of her, completely done with playing all of these stupid little games for money, recognition, life. Rachel couldn't see Clovis, but hoped that he was alright.

 _38…37…_

Clovis couldn't see Rachel, which worried him. It either meant that she was out of his field of vision on the other side of the Cornucopia, or that his vision was already fading, going black, as he slowly fell asleep. 39 times 54…39 times 54…why couldn't he do this? He had to stay awake!

 _36…35…_

Calypso was located right in front of the opening of the Cornucopia, in perfect position to grab something and run away. Still, she couldn't see Grover. She considered screaming out to see if he responded, but didn't want anyone to think that she couldn't live without him. She was strong. She could run in, beating Reyna who was next to her, and spring back out. She and Grover would find each other, somehow. They would have to. They would keep each other alive.

 _34…33..._

Where was Calypso? Grover wished that they had been put next to each other, or at least within sight of each other. There were three exits that he could see, and if he and Calpyso didn't find each other, then they could end up going through different exits. What if this whole Arena was just a giant maze? They could go for miles without finding each other. Their alliance would be now or never. "I love you," Grover whispered to the air, hoping that somewhere, somehow, the words would reach Juniper.

 _32…31…_

Piper caught Jason's eye and nodded. Hopefully he would understand that she saw him. She tilted her head towards the exit behind Leo, hoping that he would know enough to run there with her. Leo could run there, too, maybe grabbing something, and they could all disappear from the Bloodbath without getting hurt, or worse, dying. Piper's stomach turned. She imagined her father in the Control Room, watching her. He had told her last night that he was proud of her, that he loved her, that she could fight and make it back. Piper wanted to trust that he believed in her, but it was hard. Piper imagined her mother, then. She thought of the warm, comforting presence that she could remember and wondered if her mother was watching her now from a screen somewhere remote or really was dead. What would her mother say to her now?

 _30…29…_

The countdown was halfway done, and the air was just becoming more charged. What if the Gamemakers did put electrical charges in the air? They couldn't do that, could they? What if they didn't deactivate the mines in time or someone got to Castor before he could? Ethan was next to a Career, bad, and Frank, average. Where was Castor? Then Ethan spotted him, by Zoe and Jason. _You're mine,_ he thought. He was ready to have his revenge.

 _28…27…_

Lou was shaking between Nancy and Octavian. She wished that she had a deck of cards, anything with her to give her something to do with her hands. She felt vulnerable, which she was, here between two Careers. She looked around and located Will, instantly feeling safer. With an ally, no single Career would take them on, right? She and Will could leave through the exit behind him. Lou spotted an orange backpack in the grass not far from her and decided that she would run for it before leaving with Will. They would be safe. Everything would be okay, right?

 _26…25…_

Will spotted Lou between two Careers, looking at an orange backpack. Good. Lou was fast enough to get it, and Will would get those two sharp-looking rocks not too far away from him. Will checked his surrounding once again. He was still next to Hazel and Piper. Nico was a few more plates away from him. Will made eye contact with the boy and nodded once, hoping that Nico would get out of this safely. Maybe he could even join Will and Lou once the Bloodbath was over.

 _24…23…_

Where was Frank? Hazel was frantic! Logically, she knew that Frank was probably across the Cornucopia from her, but she still couldn't help but think that he had already been killed and would never be there again, never smile, never frown, never breathe! And with four different exits, they could end up anywhere! They had to meet. Somehow, in the chaos of this opening battle, they had to find each other. Frank wouldn't leave without her, right? They could find each other, and then go.

 _22…21…_

It was going to be okay. Hazel was okay. She was probably just across the Cornucopia from Frank. They could find each other. Frank imagined Grandmother watching now, waiting for the fight to break out. She would want him to find Hazel. She knew that they could protect each other. Frank decided to go to the rear end of the Cornucopia. The fighting would probably center around the horn's opening, where the supplies were. Plus, Percy and Reyna were towards the horn's opening. Still, Octavian and Clarisse were to the horn's back. They could kill both him and Hazel easily. Frank needed a bow if he was going to be able to get anywhere. Frank checked the timer again. His minute was almost up.

 _20…19…_

Katie could sprint up to the Horn and get a shield if she wanted to. It was just running away that could be the problem. Reyna and Castor were both too close for comfort. Still, the Cornucopia was too close, and Katie didn't want to give up this opportunity. Connor could easily sneak in at night and steal something, but Katie couldn't. The world was unfair! _Miranda,_ Katie thought despairingly, _what do I do?_

 _18…17…_

Logically, Travis would tell him to run away and never return to the Cornucopia. That was the smart thing. Still, with all this metal, who knew where he could find food and water? Connor was fast. He could rush in, grab a backpack and a knife, and run out again. All of the things in the Cornucopia, luxuries in an Arena, were calling to him.

 _16…15…_

Zoe could see a bow in the Cornucopia. She was fast enough to go in there. Zoe knew not to be greedy, like all the males were probably being, but she still needed a weapon if she wanted to survive. Zoe was designed for the outdoors where she could silence her footsteps and cover her tracks, not such an artificial Arena. That left getting her bow as the only option. Zoe assessed the completion. Castor and Reyna stood between her and the Cornucopia, and Leo wasn't such a slouch either. Katie might have been dangerous as well. The young woman was a bit too angry, but Zoe could see a bit of herself in the girl from 11. Not much of herself, but still enough not to want to kill her. Zoe did not want to kill any girl in this Arena. The men, however…

 _14…13…_

Nico wasn't close to Zoe. Still, if she went for the Cornucopia, then he could probably kill her. The problem was if he was killed first. It would be worth it, sure, if she was also killed, but Nico was a bit afraid of death. Who wasn't? Nico resolutely stared away from Will, remembering his words. Holding grudges was dangerous, yes. But what about when the grudge was the only thing keeping you going? What if you needed the grudge to propel you forward? What if anger really was the only answer?

 _12…11…_

All 24 of the tributes were in the same place, alive, for the last time. When the day was over, any number of them could be dead. In the past week, appearances of friendship and respect could be nurtured. But now that the Games were starting, all of those relationships would have to be broken. Only one person would be alive at the end of the month, while the others left behind friends, family, hopes, dreams…and still, the idea of any guilt was pushed to the side by most of the tributes. Danger was realer than any kind of emotion at the moment, because this was now and the Games were about to start.

 _2…1…_

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Hunger Games begin!"

 **Tributes:**

 **D1: Castor Bordeax; Nancy Bobofit  
D2: Octavian Hill; Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D3: Leo Valdez; Annabeth Chase  
D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue  
D5: Jason Grace; Ella Harrison  
D6: Clovis Sonan; Rachel Dare  
D7: Grover Underwood; Calypso Aterra  
D8: Ethan Nakamura; Piper Mclean  
D9: Will Solace; Lou Ellen Lerner  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Connor Stoll; Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **Any suggestions? Please give them to me through PM or review.**


	12. Bloodbath

The minute that the gong rang out, Ella turned around and sprinted for the exit. Clarisse felt bad for the little girl, but she wasn't going to let anything as stupid as pity stop her from winning. With a few long strides, she was behind the little girl.

It was all over with a twist of her hands.

Clarisse turned around, placing her own body between the exit and any tributes who might try to run away. She needed a weapon to do damage against the stronger tributes, but she didn't want to abandon her post. In the end, all that she needed to do was make sure that the most tributes died in the Bloodbath by any means possible. It didn't matter if she was the one that killed them or not. She could get her weapon after it was over.

She noticed the boy from 10 sprinting across the tail end of the Cornucopia. Still, he didn't make a move towards the exit, so she didn't chase him. It was weak, Clarisse knew, but she didn't want to kill anyone again. As stupid as this was. This was how Silena had died.

Frank sprinted as fast as he could across the metal ground, cursing his shoes for not gaining much traction and cursing himself for not being more in shape. Still, all of his doubts flew out of the window as soon as he spotted Hazel. She was running towards him, but as she spotted him, stopped and scooped up a backpack. They didn't go for the back exit, which was guarded by the girl from 4. Instead they sprinted out of one of the side exits, near where Hazel's plate had been.

They didn't stop for a long time.

Grover literally smashed into Calypso. She had a backpack with her, and looked relieved to see him. She grabbed his hand. "Come on!"

Clarisse was blocking their path out, and she looked angry. With a roar, she charged at them.

Calypso screamed. Grover started sprinting in the opposite direction, dragging Calypso with him. They made it to one of the exits, still running. Grover gradually became aware that Clarisse wasn't following them anymore. Calypso dragged him down a bend.

"Duck!"

Grover hit the ground. An axe swung over his head. Grover automatically turned, kicking upwards at his assailiant, before realizing that there was no one there. But the voice hadn't been Calypso's—

Rachel Dare was standing there, hands over her mouth. Slowly, she backed away.

Rachel wasn't sure why she had warned the pair from 7 to duck. She had alerted them to her presence, and they could kill her! It was two against one! What chance did she have? Rachel took small steps backward, increasing the distance between herself and the alliance. Breaking stride, she turned and ran.

"It's a Gamemaker trap," Calypso said to Grover after Rachel had disappeared from sight. She was glad that the redhead had run away form them. Calypso knew that she would have been expected to kill or ally with the girl, and neither of the options seemed very good.

"Are there more?"

"Yes…"

Calypso stared forward at the minefield of axes in front of them. Pure luck had allowed them to miss the first one, and Calypso didn't want to chance going through there. "We have to turn back."

"Which way _is_ back?"

Calypso turned, internally swearing. They were at a crossroads. One of three other choices would take them back to the Cornucopia—probably. The other two…who knew where they would lead? Rachel had taken one of them, but with everything looking so identical, Calypso could easily forget which one it was. The path with the axes looked similar to the other paths, small blades, barely visible, sticking out of the walls being the only indication of a trap. There could have been any number of weapons around that Calypso couldn't see.

"I don't know."

Grover and Calypso stayed in place, looking around them, marveling at the sheer height of the metal walls surrounding them, of the high vaulted ceilings that glimmered with bright white lights.

There was no way out.

XXXXX

Castor picked up a sword from the pile of weapons in the Cornucopia and turned around, looking for a tribute. Behind him was the boy from 5, Jason. He had seemed nice, and Castor didn't want to kill him. Still, rules were rules, right? Castor had made a mistake, yes, but that didn't change the fact that he still wanted to win.

"I'm sorry," he said as he took a swing. Jason dodged, and Castor thrusted again. But suddenly, something hit him from behind.

Ethan was there, glaring at him. He was right to have this vendetta against Castor. He was a killer, a cold-blooded killer who threw away his life to get money! A set of throwing knives were between Ethan's fingers. Ethan took a punch at Castor, going for the throat.

 _Shit!_ Castor thought. Ethan had had a grudge against him from the first day. Castor swung his sword at Ethan's throat, but Ethan dodged, letting a knife fly. Castor blocked it with the edge of his sword, forced to go on the defensive as Ethan madly swiped at him. He was aware of Reyna somewhere behind him, but she seemed to be fighting the girl from 8 and Jason at the same time. Castor stabbed at Ethan's stomach. Ethan twisted out of the way, throwing another knife that Castor dodged. Castor tried slashing at Ethan's blind side, but apparently Ethan was used to fighting with one eye, because he dodged, tackling Castor to the ground. Abandoning his sword, Castor tried to wrestle with Ethan and pin him. While Ethan was weaker than he was, he was slippery, sliding out of Castor's grasp and stabbing him in the arm. Castor's arm erupted in agony, but he refused to give up, swinging wildly. Still, his attempts seemed futile even to him, and Ethan got his hands around Castor's throat.

"This is how you die, Career," Ethan hissed. Castor kicked upwards, but Ethan slammed his knee into Castor's leg, then stepped on Castor's hand. Castor felt something snap. _I'm sorry, Pollux,_ he thought. _You were right. You were always right—_

Ethan slashed his knife across Castor's throat, ending the Career. He got up and sprinted away with his knives, cursing himself for not taking any supplies. Still, he ached, and it was painful to run. Ethan hoped that the Bloodbath would go on for enough time for him to get away. He took a right down one passageway and a left down another.

Nancy grabbed her sword, realizing that Clovis was on the ground. Was he asleep? That kid had always been pretty weird. Nancy knew it wasn't fair or whatever to kick someone while they were down, but she wasn't going to give up a free kill, not when her status in the sponsors' eyes was still in flux.

It was almost too easy to kill him.

Lou Ellen ran for the backpack, scooping it up easily and heading for Will. He was picking up something on the ground. Lou caught up to him, dragging him up. The pair began running for the exit that the friends from 10 had recently escaped through.

Suddenly, the ground came up to meet Lou. Lou thrashed, turning around to see Octavian raise his knife. He stabbed down, puncturing all the way through the edge of her arm. Lou screamed.

Suddenly, Octavian was bowled off of her. It was Will! He had two small rocks in his hand, and was blindly stabbing at Octavian. Crying, Lou took the knife out of her arm and staggered over to help. But Will howled, falling over, shoulder bleeding heavily.

"NO!" Lou screamed, her voice feeling ragged.

Octavian got off of the ground, his knife bloody, standing over Will. Lou slammed into him. Her tackle wouldn't have even unseated another Career, but Octavian was so much of a stick that she knocked him into the ground. "You won't hurt Will!" Lou shouted.

"No!" yelled Octavian, thrusting his knife into the girl's chest. His eyes seemed bloodshot, but his only other injuries were small bruises from where the District 9 serf had struck him. He slammed his arms and legs into the District 9 girl. He was tired of Nancy and the other Careers making fun of him, _looking down on him!_ He was better than all of them! He was a true competitor, and no one could tell him otherwise!

"I! Am! A! Career!" Octavian shrieked, stabbing into Lou Ellen Lerner with every word. The girl went still, four wounds in her abdomen. Octavian wasn't sure if she was dead, but there was another tribute to turn to. District 9 would be out of the Games at the end of the day, and no one would ever be able to call him weak again!

But when he turned around, Will was gone, leaving through the opening in the wall.

Will had been on the ground, but was pulled up by Nico. "What the—"

"Come on," Nico groused.

"No! Lou!"

"She's dead by now!" Nico said, pushing the pace. He had no idea whether that was actually true, but he had nothing and a crazed-seeming Octavian had a knife, and there was no way that he could get Lou Ellen out of there before Octavian would kill her, not with Will, not even on his own! He had no idea why he had let himself rescue the boy from 9, but even his overworked sense of charity couldn't make him help Lou Ellen. There was no time.

"No," Will said. His arm burned up and down with white hot pains like he had stuck his shoulder into a fire. He could heal this, all he needed was some string and a needle and his district partner, laughing and telling him that it would be okay. Lou wasn't dead. She couldn't be!

"She's dead," Nico repeated.

"Stop it."

Nico did shut up, to his benefit. He was practically dragging Will by now. The blonde boy was fighting him, trying to get back to his dead friend. Nico spared a glance behind him. Her body was on the ground. Blood roared in his ears. Octavian was walking away as if he wasn't affect at all by what he had done! Nico hadn't known Lou Ellen, but her district partner and her district had obviously cared for her. How could someone kill a person like that? How could anyone kill a twelve-year-old like Bianca? Where was Ella now? She was probably dead, just like Will would be soon.

"Lou," Will whispered.

"I know." Nico made it to the first fork in the path. The noises of the Bloodbath seemed distant. There were two choices, left and right. Down the metal trail, the path forked off again.

They were in a maze, Nico realized.

A maze.

The Bloodbath had barely started, and Jason had already run for the Cornucopia. Swearing, Piper charged in after him. She had wanted them to get out as fast as possible, not run into the thick of the danger! Leo, seeing her, followed. "Get out of here!" Piper roared.

"Hell no!" Leo yelled back. He was carrying something—a hammer? He quickly caught up with her and got ahead of her, picking up a bag.

Jason was fighting Castor, but Castor was ripped off of him by Ethan. Now he was fighting Reyna with a gold sword, and it didn't seem to be going well. Reyna was obviously a better fighter than him. She was a demon with her twin knives. The weapons flashed so quickly that Piper wasn't sure how Jason was still alive. Grabbing a knife from the ground, Piper leapt onto Reyna's back.

Jason wasn't sure how he was still alive. He had survived Castor, and now Reyna had suddenly stopped trying to kill him. But quickly, Jason realized that Piper had pulled Reyna off of him. She stabbed Reyna in the shoulder, but Reyna still managed to shake her off, stabbing at her. Piper caught the blow on the blade of her knife, and wincing, pushed back up.

Leo tossed a backpack to Jason before slamming Reyna in the side with his hammer. This girl was not going to hurt Beauty Queen. He barely knew Piper, but he knew that she was his friend.

Reyna turned, stabbing at him instead, but Piper made another stab at her. Still, Reyna fought on, slashing and turning in an incredibly dangerous whirlwind.

 _I'm crazy!_ Katie thought as she snuck into the battle by the entrance of the Cornucopia. So far, it was just Reyna fighting Piper, Jason, and Leo, but a dead body was behind them and Connor was inside of the Cornucopia. More people were entering the battle zone: Nancy, Zoe. Katie grabbed a bag and a knife, sprinting away.

A knife whizzed over her head. Katie couldn't help it. She let out a scream, pulling into the metal passageway, sprinting down a corridor, left, right, straight, right…within minutes, she had gotten herself horribly lost.

But she was safe, at least for now. That made it all worth it…right?

Zoe surveyed the contents of the Cornucopia, going over it again and again. The battle raged on outside of her, and she had to get out. But still, there was no bow! Zoe needed a bow if she was going to live! Was this the Gamemakers' way of punishing her? She acted out of line, and they gave her a high score, but removed her primary weapon. If so, they were more devious than she had originally anticipated.

Groaning, Zoe slung a backpack onto her back and picked up two knives. Slowly, carefully, she made her way back out. Reyna was focused on the alliance of three, but the rest of the Careers would be there soon. Noticing a fallen form, Zoe focused on the body. It was male—Castor, a Career. It appeared that one of the dreaded wolf pack had already fallen.

Metal clanked behind her, and Zoe whirled around to find a dark figure holding a knife. Zoe did not think, just attacked with her knife the way that she had been taught. Within seconds, the figure had a knife buried in his gut. Zoe scooped up another two knives and ran, contemplating the face she had just seen. The happy one from 11…Connor Stoll.

Zoe would have gladly killed the men who had hurt her all those years ago and would have unhappily killed again to escape this Arena, but the knowledge that she had taken a life weighed heavily with her. She had killed someone.

She had killed.

Percy had quickly grabbed his bronze sword moments after the gong had rang, and had ran back to his post at the exit, suppressing the hope that a lucky tribute had already escaped through it, Annabeth maybe.

Unfortunately, the blonde tribute made it to the exit at the same time he did, holding a small knife. To her credit, she didn't shake in her shoes or beg for her life. Instead, she stood straight and tall, looking him in the eye.

Percy couldn't kill her. He just couldn't. He couldn't kill her or anyone else in this stupid Arena. He had been a fool to let himself get taken in by the tradition of the Games, and now he had to make that up to the world.

"Come on," Percy said.

"Excuse me?"

"Let's go."

Annabeth looked at Percy, considering his words. She didn't trust him at all. How could she? He had been trained for this, acclimatized to death. He could easily kill her.

Still, something made Annabeth nod at him and follow as they turned down a passageway.

He was strong. He could get her to the end and then she could kill him and win. There were a lot of tactical reasons for her to keep Percy around.

At least, that's what Annabeth told herself.

It became obvious that they were in a maze with the first fork of the road. Annabeth made a mental note to always go right. She could come up with a more complicated system later on, when she was thinking more clearly. Who knew? The Cornucopia might have been the only source of food in the entire Arena. She had to keep her bearings. She was smart enough to do it.

Still, running off with this Career wasn't a very smart thing to do at all.

What was happening to her?

Piper, Jason, and Leo had formed a kind of triangle. Reyna's attacks weren't stopping, and Nancy had joined the fight. Piper thought it was miraculous that they were still alive.

A shape came hurtling out of the Cornucopia, slamming into Piper. It was Zoe. She ran through the exit. Neither Nancy or Reyna bothered chasing her. Envy bubbled up in Piper. The end seemed like it was approaching. They needed to get away, now!

 _I need to get away, now,_ Connor thought woozily. His hands seemed wet from something…blood, maybe? Blood because blood was bleeding from his stomach because someone had stabbed him there? Blood because that was what happened when you were stabbed?

Connor pressed his hand against the wall of the Cornucopia, trying to push himself up, before slipping and falling back down. _Heh. I could have stabbed myself on something like that._ Connor didn't bother trying again. His stomach hurt too much. He was tired…he wanted to go to sleep. Sleep would make the pain go away.

Sleep.

 _Shit! Aw, no! This lady did_ not _just hit Mr. Amazing!_

Leo swung his hammer again, happy to see that he had clipped Nancy on the shoulder. She leered at him. Her teeth were kind of uneven. Then again, Nyssa said that his teeth were uneven because he didn't brush them enough…focus! He had to focus! Nancy had already grazed his elbow. He couldn't lose his focus.

It was really amazing that none of the other Careers had come to help their allies, but Leo had a feeling that their luck would run out soon. Octavian, Percy, and Clarisse were probably occupied killing other unfortunate little tributes, but it wouldn't be long until Leo's alliance of three was horribly outnumbered. The body of Castor was lying on the ground not too far away, but Leo had a feeling that whoever had killed the District 1 Career was much stronger than him.

"We have to get out!" Leo said. He had meant for it to be a whisper to Jason, who was fighting Reyna with Piper next to him, but it came out loud.

"Damn straight," Nancy snickered. She barely looked winded, just thrilled at the opportunity to kill him. Leo ignored her statement. His wit had abandoned him. This would have been so much easier with a snarky comment at hand! He didn't want Nancy's stupid sentence beat him.

Jason was breathing hard. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Octavian running over to help his allies. He couldn't let himself die! He couldn't let his friends die! Leo was right, they had to run! He tried to prepare himself, but he couldn't just start sprinting without Piper and Leo!

Piper twisted around Reyna's blow, moving out of the way. She maneuvered around the dark-haired Career, trying to land a blow. Piper had tried this before, though, and Reyna had always managed to force her back towards Jason and the Cornucopia. Piper felt fury at first, but then it melted away as her exhaustion began to take over. She couldn't do this for much longer.

She made eye contact with Jason. _Run,_ she willed him. _Run as fast as you can and don't turn back!_

Jason didn't seem to get the message. He kept stabbing at Reyna. She blocked his blow.

"GO!" Piper screamed at him.

Jason didn't make a move towards the exit, but Leo grabbed his arm and yanked him away. Reyna and Nancy were immediately on their heels. Piper had to fix that. Launching herself on the ground, she slammed herself into Reyna and Nancy. "RUN, JASON! RUN, LEO!"

Nancy slammed her elbow into Piper's gut, effectively cutting off her airstream. This annoying little district rat had let her kills escape! Nancy lifted her sword, but Reyna stopped her. "They aren't gone yet."

"Let them go! I say we kill this brat and hunt them later!" Nancy removed a knife from her belt and slammed it into Piper's leg. Piper screamed. Someone else screamed, too, one of Piper's allies. Nancy laughed. _Your time is almost up, rats!_ She would kill Piper, and then hunt down the boys from 3 and 5. "Let's give the audience a good show, okay?" Nancy grinned down at Piper, dragging her knife down Piper's arm. The younger girl gritted her teeth, not wanting to scream.

But then there was a knife in her skull. Nancy looked up at Reyna accusingly. "That was my kill!"

"We don't torture people, Nancy."

"What gives you the right to say that? The Capitol likes it?"

"No. We at least let our victims die with a little dignity."

Nancy scoffed. "You think that that makes it any better? We're killing them, honey. Get your head in the game."

"Oh, it is."

Reyna and Nancy glared at each other for a few moments before six cannons rang out, signaling the end of the Bloodbath.

"That's too small of a number," Octavian said. Nancy realized that he had been standing behind her the whole time, polishing a knife.

"Yeah, and I doubt that you did anything to help us along!" Nancy accused.

The boy smiled. "Hardly. I have a kill."

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"District Nine."

So Octavian was a killer after all? Reyna surveyed her district partner. Maybe he wasn't the worst ally to have. Reyna couldn't trust him, but at the same time, he wasn't that much of a threat as long as she kept her eyes open. Something that hopefully none of her other 'allies' would have the foresight to do.

"Too small of a number," Reyna agreed. "Especially since one of them was us."

"Really? Who?" Nancy asked.

"Your district partner," Reyna said, tilting her head towards Castor's body.

Nancy shrugged. "Well, he was pretty useless anyway."

"Jackson's gone too," Clarisse said, joining the conversation.

"What?!" Nancy demanded.

"Is he dead?"

Clarisse glared at Reyna. "I don't see his body. He must have run off!"

"Interesting. I suppose that people from District Four don't have that much loyalty to the alliance…"

Clarisse turned to Octavian. "You wanna die, punk?"

"Stop."

The other three Careers turned to look at Reyna. "We can all agree that the Bloodbath was too small. And so?"

Nancy answered her. "We hunt."

 **Tributes:**

 **D1:** Castor Bordeax **; Nancy Bobofit  
D2: Octavian Hill; Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D3: Leo Valdez; Annabeth Chase  
D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue  
D5: Jason Grace; **Ella Harrison  
 **D6:** Clovis Sonan **; Rachel Dare  
D7: Grover Underwood; Calypso Aterra  
D8: Ethan Nakamura; **Piper Mclean  
 **D9: Will Solace;** Lou Ellen Lerner  
 **D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: **Connor Stoll **; Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **Any suggestions? Please give them to me through PM or review.**


	13. After

"Piper…"

 _Piper. Piper. Piper._

Piper was dead.

 _Piper was dead._

Leo and Jason had found a large round room with one entrance and one exit. They had dropped down on the ground, completely exhausted. Frescoes decorated the walls, overly colorful for the otherwise grey Arena. The pictures were disturbing, showing people who were doing some kind of strange, macabre dance. They were mutilated, headless, smiling grotesque smiles. Leo couldn't even figure out something to joke about. The gross figures, the fact that Piper was dead…he felt overwhelmed. It was washing over him, taking over. He couldn't do this.

Jason wished that there was something to barricade the entrances with. He felt exposed. The room was pretty great with only two openings, but a group of Careers could surround them in here. Jason wished that Piper was still with them. It would have been so much easier with three rather than two.

More than that, Piper had been more than his ally. She had been his friend. She had been kind, funny, easy to be around. Charismatic. Easy-going. He hadn't known her for very long, and he didn't know that much about her family or life. Still, the same applied to her for him. She hadn't know him for long either.

Jason wished that he had gotten more of a chance to be around her.

"Maybe she's not dead," Leo offered.

Wouldn't that have been nice? If Piper had managed to escape, to live? (If they hadn't abandoned her?) Jason could only give a shrug. His eyes felt hot.

Leo sniffed once. Jason realized that he was starting to cry. Jason felt completely useless. "Hey, man…we're still in this."

"But Piper isn't. That kind of s-sucks, you know?"

"Yeah."

Jason couldn't think of anything more to say.

XXXXX

Ethan walked down a rounded hallway. The square, boxy metal had given way to what looked to be white cement, rounded into a tube. It curved off in various directions. Ethan chose a random path every time. He didn't want anyone following him.

The problem at hand was clear. There were no supplies. This was the Gamemakers way of making sure that he would die! They knew that he was a threat, they knew that he could win, so they were trying to kill him!

Ethan became aware of the sound of footsteps. If it was another pathetic tributes, then he could kill them easily. He had killed Castor without trouble! But if it was a mutt…

Ethan couldn't chance it. He began to run.

XXXXX

Katie couldn't help it. She screamed.

She had gotten to an open room, full of bottles of something. It could have been milk, which would have been great. Katie had supplies, but it might not have been enough. Security was always good.

Then she saw the skeleton.

 _It's not real, it's not real, it's not real!_ Katie told herself. There wasn't enough time for a tribute to become a skeleton—right? Unless the white stuff was acid! It wasn't acid! It couldn't be acid!

Her heart racing, Katie left the room. Someone could have heard her. She had to keep moving.

XXXXX

Clarisse glared forward as she and her alliance trekked down the metal hall. The gray had given way to a more silver kind of wall. That might have meant something, but Clarisse couldn't think about that.

No, she was so angry! Jackson had left the Careers! He had given her, and District 4, a bad name! What was wrong with him? His stupid big heart would be the end of him. Clarisse would gladly kill him if it meant that she could prove her loyalty. No one trusted her now.

Gah! She needed a kill, a chase, just to take her mind off of everything!

Without warning, Reyna held up her hand. Clarisse hated how she had taken control of the Career alliance, but at the same time, Reyna wasn't the worst leader. She at least had some idea what they were doing. The four of them ground to a halt. Reyna pressed her finger to her lips.

Reyna listened hard. She could sense someone around here. They were making a lot of noise as they walked. The footsteps were going quieter.

"Now!" Nancy yelled.

Reyna could have cursed the girl. Why was she being so loud? The correct tactic was to sneak up on the enemy! Not warn them of their coming!

Octavian dutifully ran along with the rest of his alliance. Nancy wasn't patient. That was something that he could use against her. Clarisse looked angry, perhaps over the small number of kills or the fact that her district partner had left. Those could all be used against her.

The only annoying person was Reyna. So far, she had proven herself to be capable and to have her head about her. She could be hard to control. Octavian knew that he had to let her feel like she had the power. He would strike when she least expected it!

As soon as he had a plan, that is.

It wasn't long before they had caught up with the tribute: the redhead from 6. The girl looked terrified, green eyes wide open. Her hands were empty. So she had escaped from the Cornucopia empty-handed, only to be caught by the Careers.

Rachel bit back a scream. She couldn't show weakness. Even though she had been caught by her worst nightmare, she couldn't afford to show weakness. Her father was watching her. Everyone back in District 6 was watching her. Rachel tried to suck in a deep breath, to even out her breathing. It was going to be okay. It was all going to be okay. Rachel focused on the wall behind the Careers' head. It was a pretty silver.

"I guess Six is out of the running for this year," Nancy jeered.

Rachel closed her eyes (black was comforting, like the night sky). So Clovis was dead them. She had spoken with him, worried for him, pitied him, tried to help him. He was gone, gone forever.

Rachel opened her eyes again, staring forward at the freckled girl. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"Do what?"

"Kill."

"Brat, get this through your head—I'm not being forced into anything. I'm playing for the Capitol, and I'm not going to have any problems with killing you."

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself." Rachel knew that she didn't but it was still a good try.

Nancy grinned. "Let's get started." She touched Rachel's arm with her knife, before driving it in. Rachel screamed.

But then she grabbed the knife, pulling it out of her arm, towards her heart. The cannon fired. Nancy groaned. Why was it that her kills kept getting taken away from her?

"Bitch," Nancy snarled, stabbing Rachel's body one more time for good measure.

"Nancy, stop," Reyna warned her.

"Oh, shut up!"

"Princess is right on this one," Clarisse cut in. "Mutilation—not cool."

Nancy shut her mouth, seething.

XXXXX

"Do you have a plan?" Annabeth asked Percy.

"Not particularly."

Silence.

"Do you?"

Annabeth thought this over. She had plans for everything, for the future, for right now, for what to eat, for what to do, for how to live. There were none that seemed very helpful at the moment, but Annabeth wasn't going to let Percy know that. "Yeah. I think that we should figure out patterns in the material of this maze."

"Why?"

"It could tell us something about where the traps are, where _we_ are, where the center is…"

"Isn't the Cornucopia the center?"

"You never know."

Percy laughed. Annabeth felt a twinge of annoyance. What was so funny? "Okay, Annabeth. I guess that you're right. So how do we do that?"

"We know that the area surrounding the Cornucopia is grey metal. A little while ago, it turned into this pipe." Annabeth gestured around her to the dull metal of the pipe, rounded, the ceiling barely two inches above their heads."

"So if we keep going, the pipe will end."

"Probably."

"I liked the other part better. This makes me feel…what's the word? Claustrophobic?"

"Yeah. This is a bit tight."

"And I don't really love the gray either. It's all been gray. Except for that."

Annabeth turned her head to see what Percy was pointing at. It was a brownish-red splotch on the wall. Annabeth moved closer to it, scraping a bit of it off the wall with her knife. It wasn't corrosive. She touched it.

"It's rust."

Annabeth looked down the hall. She couldn't see a lot in the dim lighting, but she thought that she could see more of the splotches.

"What? What does that mean?" Percy asked.

"It indicates air moisture, or more often, water."

"Woo-hoo!" Percy cheered. "Jackpot!"

"No! Not good!" Annabeth denied. "It would be great if the rust was only at the ground level, but it's everywhere!"

"So what? I mean…oh."

"Yes," Annabeth confirmed. "This tunnel could flood."

A cannon boomed, as if to signify her point. The seventh death of the day.

"Come on," Annabeth said. "Let's get moving."

XXXXX

"We should find a place to stop," Hazel said.

Frank nodded. The cannon shot a few minutes ago had dampened both of their spirits. Six people had died during the Bloodbath, but that was to be expected. The fact that someone else had died after that meant that something or someone was on the hunt. He and Hazel had to be careful.

They had been moving through a wooden passageway for the last few hours. The ceiling was about a foot above their heads, but chandeliers interrupted them every few feet, making them duck. Frank didn't want to consider the possibility that the chandeliers could become violent. This whole section of the Arena did remind him of his home a lot. He wanted to get out of it because of that reason, but at the same time, the familiarity was nice.

"Do you want to stop here, or wait until we get to another one of those big rooms?"

"Let's just stop here. I don't see much point in finding a big room."

"Yeah." Frank plopped down and opened up the backpack, withdrawing an empty water bottle and a box of crackers.

"Empty? Really?"

"That sucks."

"This whole Arena sucks! I hate it!"

Frank looked at Hazel, surprised. She normally was so hard to anger. She must have been really annoyed. Hazel continued on her tirade. "It's so confusing! And at least if it was outside, we'd have a way to find food and water! But _no!_ We're stuck inside this stupid maze!"

Frank swallowed. Hazel had made some good points. She looked so upset right now, too. It made Frank sad. "Well, you know one good thing about this Arena?"

"What?"

"It's hard for people to track us."

"And hard for _us_ to get anywhere!"

"Hey," Frank said, reaching over to pat Hazel on the back, "we'll move on tomorrow. Things'll get better."

Hazel sniffed. "I'm scared, Frank."

"Me too." Frank swallowed.

The Capitol anthem started, and the faces began flashing across the sky.

XXXXX

Castor was the first face. Zoe would have to admit she was happy that a man had died, and not only a man, but a man who was a threat to her own life. Still, Zoe tried to take a moment to grieve the lost life.

The next was the tiny girl from District 5. Zoe had prepared herself for the inevitability of young tributes like Ella dying (Bianca had, years ago), but it still made her upset. Another young life gone, the string cut much before its time.

Next was Clovis from District 6. He was a man, but he hadn't really registered to Zoe. He had had the lowest score of all. He was followed by Rachel, his district partner. Another worthy woman dead.

After her was Piper from 8. Piper had allied herself with males, so it was really no wonder that she had died. Zoe had seen her at the Cornucopia, smashed into her as she ran away. Was she killed by her allies? Or by the alliance from 1, 2, and 4? Zoe wondered if she would ever know.

Piper was followed by Lou Ellen. Zoe had talked with the magician once. She had been kind, a bit annoying, but still bearable. Her district partner, probably alone, must have been very upset.

Zoe knew which face would come next, and steeled herself. Still, she could not stop the waves of guilt that rolled over her as she saw the face of Connor Stoll. He had a brother, who somewhere, wished for her death. Probably wished to kill her.

As things stood, he'd probably never get the chance.

 **Tributes:**

 **D1: Nancy Bobofit**

 **D2: Octavian Hill; Reyna Ramirez-Arellano**

 **D3: Leo Valdez; Annabeth Chase**

 **D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue**

 **D5: Jason Grace**

 **D7: Grover Underwood; Calypso Aterra**

 **D8: Ethan Nakamura**

 **D9: Will Solace**

 **D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque**

 **D11: Katie Gardner**

 **D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **Any suggestions? Please give them to me through PM or review.**


	14. The Grove

Nico opened his eyes. He had no idea how long he had been sleeping for, but it was probably too long. He looked over at Will, who was also asleep. Neither of them had thought to be a guard.

Will had spent the previous night patching up his shoulder. Right now, it was wrapped tightly in part of Will's own tribute outfit, a bright yellow jumpsuit. It stood out against the red tiled walls. One of Will's sleeves was gone because of it, but really, did that matter? Will was safe, for the moment. He would wake up soon and realize that his ally had left him, but he would be safe.

Nico knew what he had to do. If he was smart, he would have killed Will, but he couldn't stomach that. He just had to leave. Will would hinder him. He couldn't afford any attachments in the Games. Nico stood up, made sure that his sword still hung at his belt, and walked away. Nothing called him back. Will didn't wake up. Nico turned a corner, and was gone.

He kept walking for a little while, until he heard a skittering noise. Nico quickly turned around, checking to see if Will or someone else had followed him. There was no one there.

Still, Nico paused. He didn't want to take any chances. The Arena really was safer with an ally, wasn't it? Bianca had never gotten to meet up with her ally. She had died on the first day.

 _Remember that, you idiot,_ Nico reminded himself. He couldn't afford to forget why he was here. Not to make friends. Not even to win. Just to kill Zoe, Bianca's killer.

A growl from down the hallway.

Nico stayed still. Whatever that was could probably smell him, but if he started running, the thing would too. He took a few small steps backwards. The growls became louder.

A wolf came around the corner, growling.

Nico couldn't lead this back to Will!

Nico and the wolf stood still for a few moments, and Nico believed that he might have actually been able to get away without attacking!

But then, suddenly, the wolf was in the air and almost to his face— _how far could that thing jump?!—_ and Nico only barely moved out of the way, slamming into the tile, drawing his sword. He went on the offensive, swinging at the wolf's head, but the wolf was too fast and launched himself up again, raking its claws down Nico's arm. Nico screamed, but smacked the wolf with the flat of his sword. He stabbed the wolf in the stomach, again and again, until he was absolutely sure that it was dead. His arm hurt too much…it was bleeding too much…Will could fix this, right? That was his talent! He had to get back to Will…

Nico stumbled down the hallway, back the way he had come. For a few dizzying moments, he couldn't remember the way. But then he took the turn and fell…

Will was there, suddenly, standing above him. "Idiot!"

Nico didn't have the energy to deny it.

Will was already at work, ripping off one of Nico's sleeves and binding the wound. There was no way for him to sterilize it, but he had to stop the bleeding. Red still seeped through the fabric. Will tightened the bandage. Nico groaned. "That hurts!"

"Shut up! What were you thinking, wandering off like that?"

Nico didn't answer. Will realized that he had passed out. This wasn't good. Nico had lost a lot of blood. He had to stay awake. Will slapped his ally.

Nico didn't awaken.

"Nico!" Will shook him. "Nico!"

XXXXX

Calypso stared down the hallway, wondering if she was dreaming. The rest of the Arena, at least the parts that she and Grover had visited, seemed manufactured. They were made of metal and stone. But then she and Grover had gotten to a weird point where the stones didn't fit together and were overrun with vines, and then they had gotten to this hallway.

The walls were a mass of vines, some that reminded Calypso of ivy, some that were unfamiliar. The ground was grassy, with some stones under it. There were trees and the lighting seemed soft and green—a bit off, yes, but nothing that Calypso couldn't handle, not when she and Grover had made it to this heaven.

"Whoa," Grover said.

"This is amazing!" Calypso could spot at least three different herbs that she could use in remedies, and with this much plant growth, there had to be water! Not to mention the food opportunities. "Let's go!"

"Are you sure?" Grover asked. "It couldn't be dangerous."

"This entire Arena is dangerous."

"Fair enough. But still…there's something wrong."

"Yeah," Calypso agreed. "The light's weird. But still…this entire Arena is filled with traps. There were the axes, and then that weird wolf…at least we have some idea of how to use this place to our advantage."

Grover nodded. "I guess you're right."

Suddenly, Calypso heard something shift. Grover's eyes widened. Calypso saw something moving in the vines. A figure charged out of it, sprinting around Grover and Calypso and down the next hallway. He had knives in his hands. Calypso's heart raced, but she didn't think that the boy—it was Ethan, right?—was a threat. He had ignored them.

"So…that was weird," Grover pointed out.

"Yeah. Do you think that something in here made him go crazy?"

"He seemed kind of crazy throughout the whole thing."

"True."

Grover took a tentative step. His foot found stone ground, seeming solid. "I think it's safe."

Calypso followed Grover into the grove. The pair stood silently for a few moments, marveling at the nature hidden inside of such an artificial Arena. Calypso couldn't see the sky, but she imagined that it was there, hidden just above the trees. Then she focused on the task at hand and headed over to the vines, yanking two off of the walls. "These could be useful."

"Yeah." Grover weighed two sticks in his hand, then chose one to be his club. "Do you recognize any of this?"

"Aloe, cranberries…there's a lot of helpful stuff around here, but it doesn't make any sense! None of this stuff has the same environment!"

"How do you know about it, then?"

"I've seen it in other apothecaries, shipped in from 10 and 11. But this whole foresty place doesn't seemed to exist according to nature."

"We're in the Arena, after all."

For the first time, Calypso laughed. "You're right. I need to get that through my head."

 _Yes._

The voice wasn't hers or Grover's, it didn't seem human, it rather sounded like it was the wind or something else like that. Calypso froze. "Grover—"

"I heard it. We need to go."

 _Running away?_ The voice purred. _No, no. I've had three visitors today and still haven't had anything to eat._

"Come on!" Calypso and Grover began sprinting away, but suddenly, the vines were alive and moving. The ones in Calypso's hands came alive, too, wrapping around her, strangling her. Calypso pulled one of them off and wrestled with the next.

"Calypso!" Grover was turning back, coming to help her.

"No, Grover! Run! You have to run!"

 _Yes, run away, little boy,_ the voice cackled. _Let me have my prey._

"No!" Grover screamed. "Calypso!"

 _You test my patience!_ The voice warned. _Leave, or be killed!_

"Grover, run! Win this for Juniper! You have to win!"

The vines began dragging her back into the room, deeper and deeper.

Grover ran.

XXXXX

Percy and Annabeth had been moving along quickly, but the tunnel seemed to go on forever. The rust was everywhere, too. Percy was a bit worried. He wasn't scared of the water, drowning wasn't a possible form of death for him. He knew the water through and through, and while it was dangerous, he knew how to live in it.

He was worried for Annabeth. He knew that she would have to die sooner or later, but that didn't mean that he wanted her to. She was actually pretty nice. A little serious, but nice. She could easily die if the tunnel did flood.

"Do you think it'll end soon?" Annabeth asked him.

"I don't know. This tunnel could go on forever. Do you think that we're looping?"

"I don't really see how it's possible. We came into this tunnel when it connected to the high gray maze, so we should get back to that point if we're in a loop."

"Unless the maze is changing."

"Oh, god. Don't even joke about that."

There was a sound from somewhere behind them. Rushing water, almost, like when the dams broke back in District 4 three summers ago. That wasn't a happy memory, but it still made Percy smile.

Then Percy realized what it meant.

"Run!" Annabeth shouted, starting to sprint. Percy ran after her. She was pretty fast, but he had more endurance. None of it mattered. The water was much faster than either of them. It roared down the corner, slamming into them. Percy angled his body forward. He couldn't let himself be smashed into a wall. He took a deep breath and pushed himself under the water, near the bottom, where the pull wasn't as strong. Where was Annabeth?

Annabeth slammed into a wall, hurting her ankle, but managed to push off and back into the middle of the tunnel. Her head was dangerously close to the ceiling. Where was Percy?

She was pushed down two more tunnels, traveling at an incredibly fast pace. She knew that Percy wasn't with her anymore. Annabeth was on her own.

 **Tributes:**

 **D1: Nancy Bobofit**

 **D2: Octavian Hill; Reyna Ramirez-Arellano**

 **D3: Leo Valdez; Annabeth Chase**

 **D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue**

 **D5: Jason Grace**

 **D7: Grover Underwood**

 **D8: Ethan Nakamura**

 **D9: Will Solace**

 **D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque**

 **D11: Katie Gardner**

 **D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **I have an important question. Should I play this all the way to the end, with all but one dying? Or should this have more of a Catching Fire ending?**


	15. Stone Monster

Zoe had heard the cannon go off: 8 tributes dead. Not bad for the second day, but Zoe had to continue on her crusade. Too many women had died. She wanted to bring up the death count for the males, especially the ones that had proven themselves to be unworthy. Octavian and Ethan were awful, and Leo wasn't amazing either. Zoe avoided the idea of killing her district partner. Nico was a male, yes, but Zoe felt that she owed it to Bianca to leave her brother alive for slightly longer.

Knives at the ready, Zoe, continued down the dark hallway. The lighted wooden hallways had abruptly changed to concrete tunnels. Zoe had considered turning back, but the path behind her had seemed to disappear. So Zoe continued. She had lost all sense of time, but that was no matter. Time did not matter in an Arena.

Zoe found herself at another fork in the road. She listened, thanking her keen ears for warning her that there was an ominous noise from down the left hallway. Zoe turned right, treading lightly. She did not want whatever that thing was to hear her.

But thudding footsteps were still coming closer. Abandoning all pretense of stealth, Zoe began sprinting away. The footsteps became louder.

Zoe changed tactics again at the next fork in the road. She threw herself into the left cavern, against the wall, and tried to regain her breath. When the thing showed up, she would destroy it with her twin knives. They were not a bow, but they would do.

 _Thud. Thud. Thud._ The noises became louder. Zoe became aware of the fact that her heart was beating faster than usual. Zoe had attempted to shut off all emotions of fear from her life. It was necessary back in District 12. After her father had thrown her out, and she had been relegated to the streets, Zoe had tried to make herself strong. She had learned how to protect and provide for herself. Fear became a thing of the past. But now, she was genuinely afraid.

A hulking behemoth came out of the darkness.

Zoe forced her terror down and analyzed the thing. It had no eyes or ears. How did it know where she was?

It turned towards her.

Zoe leapt out of the shadows, aiming for its head. The thing wasn't fast enough to move out of her way, but Zoe's knives barely sunk into its head. It was made of stone. Zoe realized that she was lucky that her knives were undamaged.

Zoe moved toward the other side of the room. The thing slowly turned around to face her, stepping forward, arms outstretched. Zoe dodged, slamming her knife into the thing's arm. Her knife sank in a few inches, but then the monster pulled its arm back, sending her crashing into the wall, her knife still imbedded in its arm. Zoe eyed the weapon, knowing that she had to get it back. The idea seemed dangerous, and the thing began advancing on her again. Zoe rolled out of the way and sprinted down another corridor. The thing's footsteps followed her.

Zoe came to an empty cavern, and instantly knew that running had been a mistake. There were three other tunnels leading to the room. A few moments later, Annabeth entered the room, breathing heavily. She seemed to be wet.

The thing was still following her. Zoe slipped out of the doorway, moving along the wall. She could not allow her back to be uncovered, where another tribute—a male, probably—could knife her. The stone monster stopped in the doorway.

It had been _herding_ her.

Zoe made eye contact with Annabeth. The blonde girl hung back, seemingly unwilling to fight. She also held a knife. Her eyes darted back and forth between the other two entrances. Zoe realized that she was also waiting for the next challengers to enter.

Enter they did. Ethan ran in, sprinting away from some dark figure that loomed in the hallway but did not enter. He looked between the two girls frantically. Zoe noted that he looked slightly strange. She was pulled out of her thoughts by the fourth person entering: Katie, being chased by what looked like a group of vines.

For a few moments, the four tributes eyed each other. Then, the stone thing that had been herding Zoe entered the room, charging for her.

Zoe dove out of the way, letting the thing smash into the wall. When it turned, it did not look too damaged. That was disappointing. Zoe's knife was still imbedded in its arm. Zoe wanted it back. The monster charged towards Annabeth next, who rolled out of the way, throwing her knife at the monster's back. It hit, lodging itself.

"It doesn't have eyes or ears!" Annabeth called.

"No kidding!" Katie replied, hovering by her entrance, looking unsure. "What does that matter?"

The monster charged back at Zoe. Annabeth back up next to Katie. Zoe felt a flash of frustration. Why weren't they helping her?

"How does it know where we are?" Annabeth asked. "It must be sensing us, or being guided by a Gamemaker. Everyone stay still."

"That's not exactly possible," Katie said. "How do we kill it?"

Zoe dodged the monster once again, coming to a halt next to the other two women. "Thank you very much."

Katie, at least, looked chagrined. "Sorry."

Zoe noticed that she was clutching her wrist to her. Annabeth was resting mostly on her left ankle. "We need to go for the joints."

"What? Why?" Katie asked.

"They look unstable. If we hit them, that thing might fall apart."

It was a long shot, but as the monster charged Ethan, Zoe decided that it was a chance they should take.

"Come on," Annabeth said.

"Why me?" Zoe asked.

"You're the only one that isn't hurt."

"Kill her!" Ethan shouted from across the room as he stabbed the monster in the chest. "Kill Zoe!"

"He's crazy," Annabeth muttered.

"Not crazy!" Ethan protested. "She scored the highest! She'll kill us all!"

"Let's go," Annabeth said.

The four tributes ringed the monster. Zoe made the first move, charging it and stabbing it where the arm met the shoulder.

The thing cracked. Actually cracked.

Zoe could practically hear Annabeth breathing a sigh of relief, before Katie charged the thing with her knife and hit it again. The arm fell off. Zoe could tell that Katie had seriously injured her arm in some way. Her hand fell limp against her body, and her wrist seemed to be pointing the wrong way. Zoe felt new respect for her competitor. She was a worthy woman. And Zoe had killed her district partner.

The monster turned again, charging Zoe. This time, Zoe stood her ground, before diving at the last moment and smashing her knife into the creature's leg, again and again until it fell off. Zoe could not help it. She imagined her father standing in the creature's place, imagined hurting him like her had hurt her.

As the leg fell off, the thing fell over. Annabeth stabbed it in the neck. The head fell off.

For a moment, all four tributes stood, waiting for the thing to rise again and try to kill them. But the rock monster stayed on the ground. Zoe breathed a sigh of relief as the vines and whatever had been waiting in Ethan's tunnel retreated, leaving the way clear.

But something shifted. Katie screamed. Zoe turned, seeing Ethan charge at her.

Annabeth was the one who acted fastest. She threw her knife. It caught Ethan in the arm. He howled, but kept going at Zoe.

"You _idiots!"_ he screamed. "She'll kill us all! We have to kill her!"

Zoe punched him in the gut.

He briefly fell, but got up again, knife at the ready. Zoe approached with her own knife. "Leave, male," she hissed.

Ethan's eyes flitted around. Katie and Annabeth remained motionless.

Ethan threw his own knife, at Annabeth. It hit her in the shoulder. Annabeth screamed and fell.

Ethan ran. He didn't know why he hadn't thrown his knife at Zoe. She was the bigger threat. But she would have dodged or something, and he would have failed. Annabeth was unprepared. Taking her down would be a victory, in any case. Just as big of a victory as killing Castor! She had sided with their future killer!

Annabeth lay on the ground, waiting for the pain to come. It didn't. Instead, her arm felt numb. Annabeth gripped the knife, carefully pulling it out. It didn't hurt. There was something green on the blade.

 _Poison,_ thought Katie. Ethan had gotten poison from somewhere. Who knew how hard it would be to stop? Where would the antidote lie? Katie wondered if she should even bother helping Annabeth. They were still competition, after all.

Zoe stood above the two girls. "Is the blade poisoned?"

"Yes."

"That—that bastard!" Zoe never stuttered, but Ethan had made her so angry! She had half a mind to chase after him now, to bring him down, but Annabeth required her help. She was not about to leave her new ally lying on the floor, dying.

The thought caught Zoe by surprise. Ally. Zoe had never planned on having allies, but the two women had proven themselves more than worthy. Katie and Annabeth could both help her, and she could help them in return.

"Well," Zoe decided, "we have to find the antidote. Let's go."

"Zoe, I'm not sure if there is one."

Zoe looked at Katie, and shrugged. "We will search. We will try."

Katie inhaled. Exhaled. Finally, nodded. "Fine. Let's go."

 **Tributes:**

 **D1: Nancy Bobofit  
D2: Octavian Hill; Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D3: Leo Valdez; Annabeth Chase  
D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue  
D5: Jason Grace  
D7: Grover Underwood  
D8: Ethan Nakamura  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **Any suggestions?**


	16. The Second Duel

"Shit."

"Stop saying that."

"Shit!"

"Nico, please shut up."

"I won't, Will! This hurts like hell!"

"It would hurt less if you stopped touching it."

"Oh, shut up!"

Will sighed, shaking his head. Nico was a difficult person to be around sometimes. Will was incredibly happy that he had woken up, but getting hurt hadn't worked any wonders on his temper.

"Right or left?" Will asked.

Nico scowled. "Neither. We've been through this area before."

Will looked both ways. The path did look familiar, if only because it was the same type of gray metal that had surrounded the Cornucopia. "Maybe. Does it matter?"

Nico glared at him. _"No."_

"And I assume that by 'no,' you mean yes."

"Whatever, Solace."

"So I'm right!"

It probably wasn't smart to keep provoking Nico, but it was just so much fun! "Let's go right."

"Why?"

"What could go wrong?"

"Literally everything."

"You're so _negative,"_ Will chirped.

"I swear, Solace…" Nico growled.

Nico and Will continued down the left path for a few more minutes, before getting to a huge room. There were two more entrances. Will was starting to get a bad feeling. "Nico, let's turn back."

"SHIT!"

"What?" Will wildly spun around, before realizing that the door they had entered through had closed. They couldn't leave through there. "Come on!" Will began dragging Nico towards another door, but before before he could, Hazel stumbled through it. There was dirt in her curly hair, and she looked terrified. She stopped short on seeing them, breathing heavily. She had had an ally, Will remembered. Her district partner. Was he the cannon that had gone off earlier?

Through the other door, someone else emerged.

 _Octavian._

Anger boiled up in Will. He didn't bother keeping it down. He had to _kill_ that boy, the boy who had killed Lou Ellen! Lou didn't deserve any of that! Octavian had to die!

Nico looked angry, too. He was glaring at Octavian. Octavian smirked back at them, as if he had some kind of secret, as if he was somehow _superior._ Will would give anything to rip that stupid smile off of his face! Anything!

"Easy, boy," Nico warned him.

"Shut up, Nico."

"So the beast awakens!" Nico replied.

Octavian's smile got wider. "Hello, Will. Nico. Hazel."

Will didn't get a chance to respond, because something came out of the tunnel that Hazel had run out of. It seemed too bright against the gray Arena. It spread out over the floor, green and pale yellow. At first, Will thought that it was grass. Then, Will realized that there were little _people_ hidden in it.

That was disgusting. Will felt sick.

But not for long, because a group of the things surrounded Hazel and began building themselves up around her, surrounding her. Hazel screamed sharply before going silent. Will watched in horror for a beat. He tried to work up his courage to help Hazel, but something stopped him, because Hazel stood in the way of him and Austin and Kayla. But that could have been Austin being eaten by…tiny little humans…and Will couldn't let that happen! He and Nico ran for Hazel, helping to yank off the little things. Nico smashed into the them with his sword. Will used his hands, but the things were relentless. They were going to lose.

One of them sank its teeth into Will's hand. Will screamed, yanking his hand backwards and ripping it off, taking off some skin with it. Will frantically wondered if he was going to die here, but suddenly, the disgusting little mini-cupids backed off, hovering around the edges of the room.

"I don't think I need to explain what's going on here," Octavian said.

Will bit back about a million responses and considered stealing Nico's sword, but his ally started talking. "Excuse me?"

"Someone needs to die, or those horrible things are going to start attacking again and eat us all alive."

"How about you, Octavian?" Will snarled.

Octavian grinned. "You can try. I was thinking that you two can kill District Ten, and then I won't kill you."

"Fuck off," Will snarled.

Octavian sighed. "Is this about your district partner, Mr. Solace? Because I believe that we are both just playing by the rules of the Game."

"Shut up, Career!"

Octavian raised an eyebrow. "I didn't volunteer for this any more than you did, Will. But perhaps calling others nasty names lets you forget that your twin brother didn't love you enough to volunteer."

"Shut up!" This time it was Hazel who spoke. Nico looked at her in surprise, but Will kept his eyes on Octavian, who he would kill if it cost him his life. Hazel continued. "You talk a big game, Octavian, but anyone with two brain cells can realize that you're just manipulating everyone. You're scared because you know that we can kill you."

"If it makes you feel better to think that," Octavian replied.

He was bluffing. He had to be bluffing. Ignoring the pain in his hand, Will tensed himself. He needed a weapon. "Nico, give me your sword."

"Surely you aren't that stupid, Mr. Solace!" Octavian laughed. "Very well."

Will yanked Nico's sword out of his hand and charged.

Octavian was ready for him, and Will hadn't ever used a sword before. It felt ungainly in his hands, but Will knew the concept: sharp things cut. Hit your enemy with the sharp thing.

That didn't prepare him for Octavian's prowess with that stupid knife. He blocked Will's first swing, sending shockwaves up Will's arm. Will swung again, and Octavian parried, thrusting at Will this time. Will didn't bother trying to his Octavian's knife and hit the ground instead, kicking out at Octavian. Nico's sword already felt heavy in his hands.

Octavian stepped out of the way of Will's kick and kicked him in the stomach. It hurt. A lot. Will curled himself into a ball. He had to get up…he had to get up…but Octavian hit him again. Will kicked again, knocking Octavian over. Will dropped his sword and resorted to wrestling with Octavian. The two boys when rolling along the floor. Octavian made to stab at Will, but Will grabbed his wrist and pinned him to the ground. He wrestled the knife out of Octavian's hand, but Octavian didn't give up. The two boys tussled over the knife. Octavian came out on top, stabbing wildly at Will, who dodged.

Octavian's next blow was blocked by Nico, who had his sword back. Nico was better than Will at fighting, but Octavian had been trained for longer and was able to block Nico's blow. Will felt useless, and he _hated_ it. He needed a weapon! It wasn't fair that Nico was fighting his battle, and that he couldn't do anything to hurt Lou Ellen's killer! And Octavian slowly made Nico take small steps backward, towards the roiling mass of evil grasses.

Will did the only thing that he could do.

He tackled Octavian.

Once again, the two boys went sprawling. This time, Will fought with more ferocity then he had ever experienced in his life. Octavian could not win! He punched Octavian in the jaw, in the stomach, wherever he could, keeping Octavian's knife out of reach.

But Octavian somehow made his way to the top again—

And Will didn't have anything to block the knife with—

And anyway, his hands were pinned down—

And so the knife entered his stomach.

It _burned._

And oh god, it hurt so much.

Will wondered if this was how Lou Ellen had felt as she was dying, as the boy from 2 killed her in the same way. He wondered if he would see her again in the next world. He thought of Kayla, of Austin.

It hurt again when the knife left his body, but for some reason, Octavian didn't stab down again, and then there was the face of a black-haired boy above him…

Hazel had been useless throughout the fight, but she couldn't let Octavian kill Will. They had spoken. He was nice. Beyond that, Octavian was a terrible person and could easily kill her and Nico. Hazel didn't know where she had gotten the strength, but she heaved Octavian off of Will and sent him flying into the mass of evil little grass babies.

Octavian thought he could feel every one of his bones rattling around as he landed on the metal floor, and it hurt too much to push himself up, and then the mutts were on him…they swarmed him, biting, and it hurt, and Octavian wondered why it had to end like this…he was a Career! He wasn't supposed to get eaten by a Gamemaker trap! He was supposed to win, to go back home!

Nico barely registered Octavian in the background, the firing cannon that followed because after all, it wasn't Will's! He was too focused on Will. There was a bleeding wound on his stomach, but it could be fixed, right? Will could fix it. They could get sponsors! There was always a way! Nico remembered Will's response to bloody wounds. He ripped off his own sleeve and started wrapping up the hole. He could do this. He could do this.

Will's mind drifted away from the pain and to Austin. They had always done everything together. Every class, every song, every Reaping was spent at each other's side. But now he had gone into the area of experiences that Austin would never have. Nothing would ever be the same. Will was happy, deliriously happy, that Austin hadn't had to experience this. But for some reason, there was a bit of bitterness, too…

"You're not dying," Nico hissed. "Come on, Solace."

Hazel dropped to her knees next to him. "I don't think it's too deep. The problem is if he loses too much blood…"

"Stop! Just stop! We have to save him!"

"We will, Nico."

Nico hated how measured Hazel's voice was, because really, didn't Will deserve the panic? But at the same time, it was comforting, reassuring. It felt good to have someone rational helping him along.

"Well, I guess we're stuck together," Nico snapped.

"I guess…?"

"Help me, then," Nico ordered.

Hazel complied.

 **Tributes:**

 **D1: Nancy Bobofit  
D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D3: Leo Valdez; Annabeth Chase  
D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue  
D5: Jason Grace  
D7: Grover Underwood  
D8: Ethan Nakamura  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **Any suggestions?**


	17. Things That Go Boom

The birds that had appeared suddenly were obviously something sinister that could easily kill both Reyna and Clarisse where they stood. They swooped in to attack, and the two girls ran back down the hall that they had come from.

Reyna cursed herself for letting her alliance split up. Nancy had insisted that they cover more ground, and Reyna had allowed her and Octavian to go off together. They had decided to go left every time and go back after 30 turns, but Reyna was feeling worse and worse about her decision. She had understood how temperamental Nancy was, and that the girl from 1 might have snapped and tried to kill her if she hadn't allowed her to have her way for once. Still, Reyna wondered if Hylla would have done something differently. She would have known what to do. She wouldn't have let Nancy get her way after whining for so long. And now Reyna and Clarisse were on their own to face these demonic birds.

Reyna tried to turn left when she got to the next crossroads, but the birds blocked her path. Reyna turned right, trying to record it. She had to make sure she could find her way back. The birds pecked at her hands, her face, any open skin. Reyna flapped her hands around, smacking birds, trying to keep them from eating her. She could make out Clarisse's form somewhere in front of her. Reyna tried to follow her ally.

Suddenly, the birds stopped. Reyna immediately realized what had been happening. She and Clarisse were standing in a large gray room with seats all around them, and two other tributes: Percy and Leo. Clarisse growled as she saw her district partner, and Reyna also felt a twinge of anger at the sight of her ex-ally. Percy Jackson was a traitor, and that was the one thing that she hated the most.

Percy's entrance seemed to be blocked by some glass. Behind it was something dark—water, Reyna realized. The one that Leo had come from no longer existed, rather, there was a small indent in the wall indicating that he had come from somewhere.

The birds still blocked Reyna and Clarisse's exit. Reyna understood that to leave this room, someone had to die.

Percy wasn't to be trifled with, and Leo had also scored relatively well—too well for someone from District 3. It would be fortuitious to kill him now before he could come back with a vengeance later and possibly kill her. Reyna knew that she and Clarisse could probably do it without too much trouble.

Percy didn't like the way that Reyna was looking at him. She was sizing him up, wasn't she? Enough people had done that before that he knew when to recognize it. He was kind of scared at the idea of going up against the two Career girls. They had both gotten 10s, higher than he and Leo. Not to mention, they were in an alliance. Percy had no idea if Leo would trust him. And Percy was completely soaked, starting to shiver, and couldn't get his mind off of Annabeth. Where was she? Had the cannon that had sounded in the last hour been hers? He had just been getting to know the girl. Percy looked at Leo again—Annabeth's district partner. Surely Leo would trust him, right?

"How do you want to do this?" Clarisse muttered to Reyna.

"We go back to back and attack Percy. If Leo tries to help him, you take him down."

That sounded fine to Clarisse, but then again, she was taking an awfully passive role. "Don't underestimate me, Princess. I can take down Jackson just fine."

"And face the hate of your district?" Reyna reminded her. Clarisse reddened. She hadn't thought of that.

"Fine. Let's go."

Leo clutched his weapons as the two girls charged Percy. They were ignoring him! That was just offensive…focus! Leo reminded himself that they would kill him once they were done with Percy.

"Leo!" Percy yelled. "How about an alliance?"

Leo was shocked. Why was Percy asking for his help? He was a Career. Had something gone wrong to make his allies hate him? Leo wracked his mind. Had Percy attacked him at the Cornucopia with the rest of the Careers? With Piper?

"No thanks." Leo began edging away, but there were no exits. Suddenly, the spherical object in his hands felt a whole lot heavier.

"We have to! They'll kill us both!" Percy sounded desperate. But his allies, his district, had killed Piper…

Piper.

She would want him to help whoever her killers were attacking.

It was time for him to get his revenge.

Earlier that day, when he and Jason were still wandering around together, his mentor Charles Beckendorf had sent him his first sponsor gift. It was a single plastic circle with a wick coming out of the top. Leo had smelled it, listened to the noise as he had shaken it, and come to one conclusion. It was filled with blasting powder.

Leo could recall days spent in school back in District 3. In the pre-Hunger Games days, an ancient civilization had used blasting powder to power their weapons. It was called gunpowder. Today's technology eliminated all need for it, but it was still a powerful explosive. It must have drained all of Leo's sponsor money.

All that Leo needed was something to light it with, and that was obvious from the walls. Leo might not have been a miner from 2 or 12 or wherever, but he knew enough to recognize flint.

And he knew that flint, hit with his steel hammer, could make a spark.

Percy was getting desperate. He parried Reyna's knife on his sword and moved out of the way of Clarisse's spear, but they were backing him into a corner. Percy thrusted at the two girls, trying to fight his way out. He was just as strong as either one of them individually, but together, Percy couldn't imagine beating both of them together. And his attempt at getting Leo's help had failed. He was going to die. Percy imagined his mother and Tyson watching at home, and found himself filled with new strength. No. He had to survive.

His next blow caught Clarisse on the arm. The girl cursed, but kept on fighting. Her spear was quick and her blows fierce. Percy knew that she had been training for at least 10 years with both a spear and trident, and that she worked on a fishing ship. This time, though, he would be the fish with the misfortune of being caught on a weapon, life disregarded…

"Percy, run!"

It was Leo.

He was smashing his hammer into the wall.

What the hell did he think he was doing?

"Shit!" Reyna yelled, and then all three of them were frozen in place, and then Leo threw whatever he was holding.

 _Huh._

Leo was almost impressed at just how damaging the blasting powder had been. He hadn't heard any cannons, but all three tributes from the lower districts had been thrown backwards. Clarisse had smashed into the wall, Reyna had been thrown all the way into the seats, and Percy was on the ground. The floor where Leo's explosive had landed was blackened. Leo was disappointed that he hadn't managed to kill anyone, but they were out of commission for the moment. The exits hadn't been unblocked, though.

Leo realized that to leave, he would have to kill someone here. And if he was smart, he should kill everyone. It was the only way to preserve his own life. He could remove many of the threats to his life in one fell swoop.

Still, the idea sickened him. The idea of Harley, or even Nyssa, Shane, watching him kill someone with no way to fight back? Awful! Then again, which was better? Watching him kill or watching him die? Would he really survive if he killed anyone? Life was so much easier without philosophical questions!

"Nice," a voice said.

Leo's heart jumped into his throat. His ears buzzed. But it was just Percy, trying to push himself off of the ground. "I didn't see that coming."

"Glad to help," Leo lied.

"I think we need to kill them," Percy said.

Leo shrugged.

Percy nodded at him. "I'll do it, then."

The green-eyed boy walked forward, trying to work up his courage. Now that the time had come to kill, he had lost all of his resolve.

Then Leo screamed.

Clarisse couldn't help but feel satisfied as the boy from 3 screamed. Really? He thought that he could just attack them like that and get away with it? Now while Clarisse was around! She would prove him wrong. She would prove everyone wrong! She could win this. A little bit of explosiveness couldn't change that.

Clarisse ripped her spear out of Valdez—had it gone all the way through him?—and charged Jackson. Her district partner leapt into the bleachers, holding his sword at Reyna's throat. "Clarisse, don't do this."

"Screw you, Jackson." Clarisse considered letting him kill Princess, but something about that didn't sit right with her. Princess was still valuable. Clarisse threw her spear.

Percy dove, but now he wasn't near Princess, and Clarisse launched herself into the stands with him. Reyna groaned on the ground. She didn't look too good. Clarisse kicked at Percy, hitting him in the shin, but he still had his sword. Clarisse ducked and swooped up again, picking up Reyna's knife, blocking his sword. She stabbed again, cursing the small length of the knife. Still, she managed to fend off Percy.

Back in 4, some of the old folks talked about 'premonitions' or whatever. Clarisse's father, Ares La Rue, always scoffed at that and called her a fool for even thinking about them. " _We're not savages from Seven," he told her. "I don't want to hear you talking about them ever again."_

Still, Clarisse felt one of them come over her as she and her district partner faced each other. Something bad was going to happen.

Five seconds later, Percy's sword cut into her shoulder.

Six seconds later, Reyna's knife left her hand and slammed into Percy's lower leg.

Seven seconds later, the glass that had been blocking all of the water from coming in began to open.

Eight seconds later, the room began to flood.

Clarisse realized what was going on. All four of the tributes in the room were injured, too close to dying. The Gamemakers didn't want to lose them all so quickly. So they were breaking up the fight.

It was time to go.

Clarisse grabbed Reyna and dragged her through the water out the door that they had came through, now unblocked.

Percy didn't bother watching the two girls go. He flipped himself over the railing to the bleachers and slogged over to Leo, who was lying on the ground. His stomach turned. Leo looked bad. There was a bloody wound through his stomach, probably fatal. But there had been no cannons yet…Percy picked Leo up and carried him back to the bleachers. The water wasn't rising too quickly. Percy could save him. He had to pay Leo back.

Leo screamed the moment that Percy tried to touch his wound. "Okay!" Percy said, hastily pulling back. "Sorry! I'm just trying to help!"

"Harley," Leo groaned.

"Y-yeah. Um, Harley."

"Nyssa! Nyssa! Mom!"

"Don't talk," Percy ordered. "Just stay still. I can fix this!" But deep down, he knew that he was helpless. Clarisse had speared the younger boy through. The water was still rising. In a few moments, it would reach the bleachers. Percy picked him up again, his arms screaming, and set him down a few levels up.

"H-Harley," Leo begged.

What was Percy supposed to do? He felt more at a loss then he ever had before. "Yeah. It's me. Harley."

"Harley," Leo weakly repeated.

"What is it?" Percy asked, trying to sound gentle.

"Mom?" Leo asked.

"Yes. Mom."

"Harley, I'm gonna see Mom again. You just…you be g-good. Stay with Nyssa. She'll take care of you."

Leo was obviously delirious, and Percy didn't know what to do. He let the boy keep talking. Leo continued, "I love you so much. I, I'm—"

Leo suddenly kicked out, bleeding even more now. The water had almost reached them. "Mom?"

"Yes, Leo?"

"C-can you sing?"

The request seemed ridiculous. Percy didn't sing. He couldn't. But he couldn't bring himself to ignore the boy's last wish. Percy began, a lullaby that people sang on boats sometimes. He could remember his own mother singing it sometimes, to Tyson, to him. He liked to imagine his father singing it, too, before he had died.

" _Over the ocean, far across the sea  
There is a safe place for just you and me  
A sky that's blue, no rain at all  
The sun, the moon, the birds that call  
Over the ocean, far across the sea  
Lies a place where you can be free."_

The cannon fired a few moments later. Percy didn't need any confirmation that it was Leo's. His hand went cold. Percy closed his eyes, arranged his hands around his hammer. It didn't seem like enough. Knowing how stupid he was, Percy pulled off his jacket and lay it over Leo, hiding the wound.

Percy jumped into the water, willing himself to keep swimming forward. He had to keep moving.

He had to move on.

 **Tributes:**

 **D1: Nancy Bobofit  
D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D3: Annabeth Chase  
D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue  
D5: Jason Grace  
D7: Grover Underwood  
D8: Ethan Nakamura  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **Any suggestions?**


	18. Wrath of the Turtle

Jason turned another corner, spotting a group of three. They didn't seem to have noticed him. He backed up, silently. He tried to remember who these people were: the creepy boy from 12, Nico or something, and…Hazel. And someone else on the ground.

 _Crap._ Jason wished more than ever that he had Leo with him. His ally didn't exactly come across as invincible, but he had scored higher than anyone from a non-Career district. Jason had allowed himself to start feeling safe around Leo. But they had been separated something like six hours ago. Two cannons had gone off in the last hour. What if Leo was dead?

Like Piper—

Jason cut off that thought. He refused to think about Piper any more. She was dead. She wasn't coming back. He had to give up on the dream that she would turn up in the maze somewhere, laughing and assuring him that things were alright.

Even if her death was his fault—

 _Shut up!_ Jason told himself.

He never should have let himself get separated from Leo. They had been walking single file in a corridor when suddenly, the ceiling had begun to collapse.

XXXXX

 _Different sections of the ceiling, not more than a foot wide, had begun to shoot downwards. With each impact came a mighty thud, and both of the boys were able to tell that getting hit with one could mean getting crushed, or at least being seriously injured. Jason wasn't willing to risk it. He had started to run._

 _He hadn't even tried to check if Leo was following him—_

 _But he was, so it worked out! Even if Jason was a terrible person._

 _For a while, the two boys had been running, dodging, but still surviving. The trick seemed to be staying on your feet. The walls came down without much warning, other than a faint cracking noise from the walls that made Jason scared, and that soon became indistinguishable from the sound of falling slabs of rock. But Jason knew that eventually, the section had to end. The two boys kept running._

 _It seemed just like the others. Jason felt some air moving and knew that if he looked up, he would see the falling stone. He had sprinted forward, trying to get out, but heard a scream from Leo._

 _Jason had wheeled around, only to see that Leo wasn't there. The sounds, the movement, had all ceased._

 _"Leo, you there?" He had asked._

 _"Yeah. But I don't think that this is going anywhere."_

 _"How do we meet back up?"_

 _"I don't—hey, a sponsor gift?"_

 _Leo always was easily distracted. But Jason cut that thought off, because the two cannons meant that Leo might be dead—_

 _"Leo, focus!" The creaking noise from Leo's side had been making Jason feel on edge._

 _"Sorry! Oh, look! The walls on my side just went up! But the path changed. There's no forks. What do you think it means?"_

 _"If the Gamemakers are changing the path, then they probably want you to go somewhere."_

 _"Yeah." Leo was being uncharacteristically quiet._

 _Jason had waited for Leo to talk, feeling uncomfortable about voicing his own opinions. Finally, he let his thoughts out. "I don't think you should do it, Leo."_

 _"Aw, Jason! You do care!"_

 _Jason had flushed. A life in District 5 had taught him that caring about what happened to others was a weakness. Thalia had tried to teach him not to show emotion even since their mother had died and he had cried—"It makes you weak, Jase. I know you don't understand it now, but you will eventually. People are assho—I mean, jerks, sometimes. If they can find a reason to hurt you, they will. Don't get rid of your feelings. Just hide them. It makes you stronger."_

 _Thalia had smiled down at him then, something strange in it, something strange in her eye. "I'm not gonna be here forever, Jase."_

 _"Like Mommy? You're gonna leave?"_

 _"No! Not for a while, Jase. I promise. But you need to know how to be on your own. There are some things I can't protect you from."_

 _Thalia would have told him that he was being an idiot for thinking about Piper and Leo._

 _"Jason?" Something in Leo's voice had changed. "The wall's moving."_

 _"What? It's staying still!"_

 _"On your end, maybe!" Leo's voice had been becoming scared. "But it's…it's herding me, I think. Gotta run."_

 _"Leo, wait! We have to figure out how to meet up!"_

 _"I'm sorry, Jason! It's getting faster!"_

 _Leo's voice was farther and farther away, and Jason couldn't follow. He never could._

 _So he turned around and walked away._

XXXXX

Jason would have left the group. He should have left the group. But when the giant turtle with the crazy teeth turned the corner going faster than it should have been able to, he screamed.

Hazel and Nico both turned first towards Jason, then back towards the hallway the turtle was hurtling out of. Jason could see their eyes widening. "Come on!" Hazel yelled.

Jason watched the two work together to pick up the boy on the ground. That should have been what he and Leo did for Piper. They were allies! They should have stuck together, but instead, he and Leo had betrayed her—

"Come on," Jason said, surprised at how level his voice was, even after screaming. "Let's go."

"It's too fast," Nico snarled. "A little help, maybe."

Nico and Hazel were on either side of the boy—Will, Jason remembered. It didn't look like Jason could do much for them at the moment. "I think we have to kill that thing," he said, moving towards them.

"Again?" Nico sounded really angry. "We just fought some mutts. And an Octavian."

"Wait—the Career?" Jason asked.

"You sound too interested," Nico accused.

"Nico," Hazel stepped in. They were moving quickly now, but not quickly enough. Will was dragging them down. He was covered in cuts and bruises, but he had a particularly bad one on his stomach. One that looked new. "Yes, we fought Octavian. He's dead." Jason noticed something in her voice, guilt, maybe? Had she killed him? The idea sent chills through Jason. Hanging around with a killer didn't seem like a good idea. Hazel was dangerous.

But hadn't he killed Piper by leaving her—

No. No.

One cannon was good. One cannon was accounted for, leaving less of a chance for Leo to be dead. Still, a small chance was all that was needed. Jason needed to know that someone else was dead, someone _not Leo—_

"That turtle's catching up," Jason said.

"You're not doing much!" Nico replied.

"We have to kill it."

It was a cold, hard, fact. Jason knew that he had to kill that turtle if he was going to prove his worth as a player in the game. Octavian, a Career, was dead. Things were getting serious.

"Well, how?" Hazel asked. The turtle was gaining on them. It's head was big. Too big. It was big altogether, like it was built to slowly devour the bodies of hapless tributes.

Something suddenly flew over their heads, and Jason felt something smack into him. His vision cleared. The turtled had… _jumped._

"I have a sword," Jason said, freaking out. "Nico, you have one too. We have to kill this thing. NOW!"

"Nico, give me your sword, and get Will out of the way. We'll take this thing out," Hazel said. "Ready, Jason."

 _Not in the least,_ Jason thought. "Yeah. Do we charge it?"

"Um…"

"I'll keep its attention," Jason declared. "You need to attack it from behind."

"How?"

"I don't know! Figure it out!"

Hazel groaned, but stayed back as Jason, feeling stupider than he ever had, charged the turtle.

His first blow made connection with the shell and bounced off. Jason hadn't expected it to do any damage, but having his speculation confirmed did nothing to his level of hope. What was the point of having Hazel get behind it? They would have to chop off the head…or another unprotected part…

"Go for the legs!" Jason ordered Hazel.

"Got it!" his fighting partner said, but suddenly the turtle was in front of her and not Jason.

 _It jumped again,_ Jason realized. Well, now he was behind it. He had to try to take out the legs.

Hazel was doing an okay job holding the thing at bay. Each of her blows met either the shell or the teeth of the turtle (it could fight her sword with its teeth, how screwed up was that?). However, a life in District 10 plus the years she had on Jason gave her more force behind each blow. The turtle couldn't do any gaining on her, and at times, she seemed to be smacking it back slightly.

Jason dropped to the ground and swung his sword in a wide arc parallel to the floor, catching the mutt in the leg. His sword didn't cut very deep, but when he pulled it back, there was blood on the blade. Feeling queasy, Jason went for the other leg, but the turtle skittered to the side and turned back to face him. Jason scrambled back to his feet, holding his sword in a way that he hoped looked menacing. The turtle kicked off of its hind legs.

And didn't reach him.

Jason's sword had done its work. The turtle still had most of its mobility, but its range had been hampered. Buoyed up by his success, Jason went on the offensive again. The turtle had withdrawn its head within its shell as if in anticipation of Jason's move, but Jason went for one of the front legs.

That was his mistake.

The turtle threw itself off the ground again and hit him in the stomach. Jason saw stars, the wind knocked out of him. The turtle was on his chest, keeping him down. It opened its mouth, moving its head towards him. Its teeth were sharp.

And then its head flew off. Hazel stood behind the turtle, sword in hand, and kicked the body off of Jason. Jason shuddered. He was covered in turtle blood. He used part of his shirt to start wiping it off, but it wasn't enough to fully clean him. "Thanks," he told Hazel after his mouth felt clean enough to safely open.

Hazel looked shaky. "No problem."

Jason looked around again, at the form of Will on the ground, at Nico kneeling over him, at the bloodied turtle, the absence of Leo. "Well. What now?"

"You can stay with us," Hazel offered.

"Whoa!" Nico said. "No. We don't offer. Stop, Hazel."

Hazel sighed. "Nico, come on. He saved our lives."

" _You_ saved _his!"_ Nico glared at Jason. "Didn't you have an ally, Five? District Three? What happened to him, huh?"

Blood roared in Jason's ears. Was Nico really implying that he had killed Leo?

"Nico, stop," Hazel demanded. "Jason can stay."

The anthem of the Capitol played, shocking them all into silence. Jason eagerly looked up at the sky.

The first face was Octavian's. That was good. Jason's heart raced. _Don'tletitbeLeodon'tletitbeLeo_

But the next face was of a familiar boy with curly hair and a crazy smile. _Leo._ Leo was dead. Just like Piper. Just like Mother. Just like all of them were almost dead already.

Like Jason would be.

 **Tributes:**

 **D1: Nancy Bobofit  
D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D3: Annabeth Chase  
D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue  
D5: Jason Grace  
D7: Grover Underwood  
D8: Ethan Nakamura  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **Hey, everyone! I apologize for the slow chapter. I really wanted to get more character interaction in, since a big part of the series is watching everyone work together, and there's not so much of that in this kind of story.**

 **The next chapters will detail what happened to the three remaining characters on the third day. There is another poll on my profile to see who you want to die next. It would be great anyone could do it.**


	19. The Three

Grover blindly stumbled along another hallway, wondering if he should just give up and let the wall of spikes catch up with him. _Juniper,_ he reminded himself. _She's back there watching._ Other thoughts, too, came to him. _Calypso._

Ever since the death of his district partner, Grover had gone partly catatonic. He had collapsed onto the ground a good distance away from the grove and laid there. He hadn't been able to come up with any reason to move. He was trapped in a giant maze. Why should he waste his energy stumbling around? Look where exploration had gotten him! Calypso had died. And she hadn't even been granted a quick death.

A cannon hadn't gone off for more than half an hour after Grover had run away.

The Capitol was sick. The Bloodbath had been just a day earlier. How much blood did they need? Did they get a special kick out of watching the kindest people die horrible deaths?

And then the wall of spikes had started to herd him forward, and Grover had realized that he was never, ever going to be able to escape.

Suddenly, the hallway around him opened up. Grover stopped, panting, and realized that the wall of spikes had stopped and that he was in a large chamber. The ground seemed to be concrete, and the ceiling above—

A shock went through him. He could swear that the roof above was the real sky, blue, with a few clouds. Just like back in 7. Grover forced himself to look down. It wasn't real. Nothing was real.

Except…for the tribute in front of him.

Grover recognized Frank from 10, who looked at him with wide eyes. His chest was heaving. A second wall of spikes emerged from the door behind him, stopping. Grover turned around. There were two more doors. Two more people, Grover realized. And then no exits. He had to get out!

But it was too late, as Nancy Bobofit barreled out of another one of the entrances. She looked around and grinned. "Well, hey, boys," she said.

Neither Grover or Frank responded. If anything, Nancy's smile got wider. "Now, that's just rude, isn't it?" she asked. "I'll kill you, don't worry! But now, let's wait for our fourth member, shall we?"

 _Fourth?!_ Grover looked around. Sure enough, there was a fourth door. Tredapidation grew within Grover. What if it was someone dangerous? Someone he couldn't beat? He had to kill Nancy now.

The thought surprised him. When had he become that hardened? That much of, well, a murderer? He had promised himself that he wouldn't let the Games change him! He owed his family that much. He couldn't make the first move here. Still, Grover gripped his new cudgel until his knuckles were white, silently thanking his mentor, Maron. It wasn't an axe, but it still felt balanced in his hands. Grover felt like he stood a fighting chance with his club.

Slowly, the fourth door closed. Nancy laughed again. "Well then. I guess our fourth competitor won't be joining us. A bit of a failure on the Gamemakers' part, but hey! more for me."

Grover's stomach dropped. No one insulted the Gamemakers and got away with it. No one. But the floor didn't move. The room remained silent. Somewhere out there, people were waiting. Waiting for a fight.

 _Why not give them one?_ Grover found himself wondering.

Nancy's grin widened. "I can see what you're thinking, Seven," she said. "Maybe you're right. Poor Juniper, though, right? No more boyfriend to come back to her."

Blood roared in Grover's ears. He clenched his free fist. Frank, across the room, looked worried.

Nancy turned to Frank. "Don't worry, Zhang!" she called. "I'll make it quick. Or, you know, not. But I don't think you'll be very effective at fighting me off." She looked Frank up and down. "I mean, have you ever exercised? Ever?" Grover watched Frank go red, guessing that this was a sensitive topic for him. Well, it was a potential weakness—no. He couldn't be the killer that Nancy was.

On the ceiling, about 10 feet above them, fluorescent lights in long, straight bulbs flashed off something in Nancy's hand. Feeling suddenly ill, Grover watched as Nancy threw a knife. He instinctively ducked, but the knife was in Frank and then the boy from 10 collapsed…

Grover felt some vomit come to his mouth, but thankfully, he didn't throw up. He tore his eyes away from Frank, who was screaming, screaming…

Nancy's smile had gotten even wider as she stared at Grover and Grover wondered how much of a fucking psychopath this girl had to be. What was District 1 teaching their kids, anyway?! Hadn't the boy volunteered for the money or something? Who _did_ that! Remembering Ethan, the crazed boy from 8's anger seemed so much more rational. Nancy _enjoyed_ pain. The room swam in front of Grover. No…no…he had to pull himself out of this. He had to fight.

Nancy tossed her curly red hair behind her. "Picked up some new toys at the Cornucopia," she explained. "Quite a few knives, actually. Why don't we have some fun?"

Something registered with Grover. The Cornucopia—she had been back there, sometime after the Bloodbath. So it was possible to get back. He had to remember that. He just had to kill Nancy and go there.

Right. He had to kill Nancy.

The redhead raised an eyebrow at him, and threw her first knife.

Grover almost hadn't seen it coming, but he had seen her wrist slowly flicking and he hit the ground. His lungs felt painful, but he forced himself to inhale, scrambling up as the next knife slammed into the area where his right hand had just been. Another knife came hurtling his way. Grover threw himself to the left, hitting the wall, pushing himself off of it and somehow managing to somersault off the ground into a standing position.

And then the next knife came and Grover's eyes crossed as he bent down and it missed him by an inch, cutting a tiny cut into his nose. Nancy wasn't letting up, though. Grover fell again, pushing up, not sure where he was going. There was no cover! He propelled himself into a strange jump, letting the next knife fly past him.

There was one of Nancy's knives on the ground. Not sure what he was doing, he picked it up, and let it fly. Nancy laughed as she dodged. "Fighting back, huh, Seven? Whatever, it's all the same to me."

Feeling another burst of adrenaline, Grover grabbed a knife and charged Nancy. He didn't know why he did it. He believed in himself for once. And he was fed up with Nancy. He just wanted this to be over.

And then Nancy's knife cut—no, it _burned_ through the flesh in his left arm as Nancy threw it. Grover screamed out but kept going. He slammed into the girl and sent them both tumbling over, stabbing blindly, but despite his large build from working in 7, Nancy gained the upper hand. They rolled over and over and Grover pummeled at her but Nancy was keeping her muscles tight and then her hand was over Grover's and she ripped the knife away from him, driving it

through

his

flesh

And into the ground and Grover didn't know that anything in the world could ever hurt so much because it _hurt_ and Juniper wasn't there and no one was there except for another dying boy and the girl who was killing them both and he'd _die_ right now if it meant that it would be over because it _hurt!_

Nancy's smile was only wider and the red in Grover's vision from the pain multiplied with the anger and the shame that she was beating him, that she was stronger than his dream of Juniper and just _living_ back home. She pulled out another knife and gently traced a pattern up his other arm, cutting through the fabric of his orange tribute bodysuit. "Oh, Grover. Did you plan on beating me or something?"

Grover gritted his teeth, refusing to answer.

This time the knife bit deeper, into his skin, and it still hurt but not as much as his arm which seemed to be multiplying…

"You were never going to win, you know," Nancy confided to him. "You knew it when you talked about protecting your stupid District partner up on Interview Night. You weren't planning on coming home, were you? But then she turned up dead on the second day and I just have to wonder, did you kill her? Did she not look enough like your girlfriend? Or maybe too much?" Nancy laughed. Grover wanted to scream at her, to scream that she was wrong and that someone would kill her and that she wasn't going to win but if he opened his mouth he would scream and that was what she wanted…

The knife tore even deeper this time, and Grover cried out. Nancy laughed. "From that moment, neither of you were going to win, you know? The Capitol doesn't like it when people act _good_ and stuff during the Games."

Even deeper and Nancy traced something on his face and was that his own blood?

"The Games aren't supposed to show how good you are. The Capitol wants to see you at your lowest. They want to watch you break. They like to watch nice little boys like you turn into killers because that means that they can believe that they're above the Districts. You were an idiot for forgetting that.

"Oh, sorry, did you not know that? That's why _I'm_ going to win. I never had any dreams. I'm a terrible person, pretty much, but that makes me interesting to watch but you get to be dragged down by the Gamemakers. I doubt that they were very happy for you. They deal in kids killing each other, not protecting each other—"

And then Nancy's weight flew off of him and her knife clattered to the ground and Grover registered what seemed to be a wolf standing above her, biting her arm.

Grover passed out.

Frank was in considerable pain, and he thought that maybe he shouldn't have pulled the knife out of his stomach, but he was at least able to dimly watch Nancy being mauled by a wolf. "No!" she screamed. "It wasn't—it wasn't supposed to be me!"

 _I doubt that the Gamemakers were very happy with your monologue,_ Frank thought to himself, feeling sick and wanting to go dark like District 7 had…

But…

No.

That wolf could go after him next. He couldn't die. He wasn't going to let himself die. Hazel was counting on him to come back. Grandmother was watching. He wasn't going to let himself be a disappointment again. Maybe somewhere, his father was watching, too, whoever he was.

Slowly, slowly, Frank stepped forward. Each step felt like it was jarring his inner organs, like he was falling apart. But still…Frank was from 10. He knew how to deal with animals, especially demented wolves that thought they could eat the livestock. Frank plunged the knife into the wolf's throat. The beast collapsed.

Frank collapsed with it

Nancy could barely think through all of her wounds, but she could dimly feel that something had gone horribly wrong. No. She was a winner. No. No!

 **Tributes:**

 **D1: Nancy Bobofit**

 **D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano**

 **D3: Annabeth Chase**

 **D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue**

 **D5: Jason Grace**

 **D7: Grover Underwood**

 **D8: Ethan Nakamura**

 **D9: Will Solace**

 **D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque**

 **D11: Katie Gardner**

 **D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**


	20. The Traitors

Katie didn't quite trust Zoe to take watch for them, but fatigue eventually overcame her. At least Zoe seemed normal, unlike that freak Ethan. A little strange in her way of talking, but at least trustworthy when it came to the matter of—what, 'looking over her fellow women?' Maybe not so normal, actually.

That said, it hadn't been easy to fall asleep. Annabeth was obviously in pain. Every few minutes, there was a quiet whimper or other sound of pain from where Annabeth was lying down. Katie had seen the wound, which was a horrible green color. The knife had been poisoned, that much was obvious. The only question was how long it would take Annabeth to die.

Zoe, too, was watching Annabeth. The woman was brave, that was sure. Strong. A true warrior. Still, was it kind to let her suffer this way? Would it not be better to end it? Zoe considered how she would feel in Annabeth's position. She would want to face her death with pride. She would not want to die slowly with the knowledge that there was no hope of her survival. Would it not be better to unburden herself and Katie and end Annabeth's suffering in the process?

 _No._ The idea sickened her. She was not a traitor, nor would she ever do anything damaging to a fellow woman. They had to stand strong together in the face of all of the males that would come in their way. They had to ensure that a woman would be the just winner of these Games. Zoe was _not_ about to let a man go back home to fame and fortune and glory—

But she would not think about that. She would not.

"You're alive," Zoe murmured, not sure who she was talking to. "You're alive."

"Who's there?!" Annabeth called out. Zoe's blood ran cold. Did Annabeth not remember her? Was she delirious? What was going on?

"It is I, Zoe," Zoe reminded her.

"Zoe?"

For an agonizing moment, Zoe believed that Annabeth had lost all memory of the last day. But then she spoke again. "W-Water?"

Zoe had water, yes. But should she give it to Annabeth? Once again, she sickened herself. But still, they had searched for an antidote for hours, until the anthem had come on and revealed the deaths of Octavian and Leo (7 males left in the Arena, only 7) and they had had to stop for the night. The maze had changed setting over and over, and still there had been nothing. Zoe was beginning to believe that there was no way to save Annabeth. And as such, should Zoe prolong the inevitable?

"Are you going to give her water?"

Zoe startled before realizing that it was Katie who had spoken. Zoe stared at her, silent. She could barely see Katie in the dark, but had a feeling that Katie was glaring at her.

"Well?" Katie challenged, and Zoe could begin to see more of that angry girl on interview night, not the meek one who had followed her around, taking turns supporting Annabeth.

"Well."

Katie snorted. "You might as well kill her now, you know."

"You would turn on our ally?"

"You weren't going to give her water."

"You may be right."

Zoe imagined Katie looking surprised. "R-Right—I mean, right. Yes. I was right."  
"I do not want to kill her."

"Wait, what?!" The challenge was in Katie's voice again. "You were really considering killing her?" A tinge of fear had come into her voice.

"Would it not be kinder?"

"She's still alive, Zoe! She's not dead until her cannon fires! What, are you going to kill me too? It's kinder, right? I won't have to die a slower death from starvation or a Career! So why not do me in?"

"You still have a fighting chance, Katie!" Zoe was surprised at the emotion that she had allowed into her voice. The last time she had been this emotional—it must have been two years ago as she bid Bianca goodbye.

"H-Hey," Annabeth coughed weakly from the ground. Both Zoe and Katie turned, surprised, worried. "I'm still…alive, you know."

"Are you in pain?" Katie asked.

"Are you gonna kill me if I say yes?" Annabeth asked, pushing herself up with her good arm. It was what, four days into the Games? And already her supposed 'allies' were going to kill her. They could try to justify it however they wanted to, but Annabeth wasn't going to allow herself to die, even if her arm did hurt so maniacally that it made her teeth hurt.

Katie became aware of how there was a long hallway behind her, all plush walls and wine-red floors made out of velvet that could soften her footsteps and _damn,_ did she want to get out and leave into the welcoming darkness because she wasn't meant for this! She wasn't meant for alliances!

And then it came to her. She didn't have a fucking _obligation_ to this alliance. She knew that Zoe had killed Connor when they had brought up their district partners after the Anthem had played and Annabeth had mentioned Leo's death. She didn't owe Zoe anything, and Katie didn't even know Annabeth!

She had a choice. This doomed alliance with a doomed girl from 3 and little water left or Miranda, her sister Miranda who was watching at home and waiting for her. Miranda, who deserved to not just have wildflowers on the kitchen table but real ones, too, roses and tulips and whatever else she wanted.

Katie didn't dare pick up the backpack. She didn't dare kill Zoe or Annabeth. Instead, she slowly padded off into the darkness.

Annabeth watched her go. Though she felt hate rise in her at Katie's departure, a small bit of admiration rose in her. Katie had the strength to do what she needed to do, and she wasn't killing Annabeth in the process. But what should she do? Would Zoe kill her without Katie around? Would Zoe go after Katie? About five minutes after Katie had left, Annabeth finally spoke up. "She's gone."

Shock rolled over Zoe's face, and Zoe turned. _"Traitor."_

Annabeth knew that she was being an idiot, but she had spent years being prudent. She was in pain and she was probably dying anyway, so she spoke her mind. "We were never really an alliance anyway."

Now Zoe looked— _betrayed._ There was no other way to put it. Annabeth wondered what was going through the older girl's head. Did she really think that they were allies? Friends? Had she trusted them?

But there was no point to wondering anymore because then Zoe stood up and grabbed the backpack and followed Katie into the dark.

 _Think,_ Annabeth told herself. _You can do this. Ethan had a poisoned knife._ Her hand closed around the knife.

 _And I still have it._

If there was still poison on it, it was a formidable weapon. But before using it, she had to find a way to survive. _Ethan either got the poison from…from inside the Arena or outside. That means that there will be an antidote inside the Arena, or outside of it. And if Ethan managed to get a sponsor gift, then so can I._

Annabeth forced herself up, even as her shoulder and arm screamed out at her and started in the opposite direction as the other members of her broken alliance.

XXXXX

Percy had walked until he had managed to leave the damp hallways behind. He tried to force his mind off Leo. Why hadn't he done anything? Leo had a family, that much was obvious from his ramblings as he died. He was what—15? Percy should have been able to save him!

And then it hit him. Even if he had managed to save Leo, how would the outcome have changed? There was only one winner. He would have had to kill Leo later on.

And as always, his thoughts came back to Annabeth. She had called him out on the fact that being a volunteer made him, well, the worst person ever. Just thinking about Annabeth made him feel sick. What if she had died. They had been separated—what, last yesterday? It felt like an eternity. The same way that the five days he'd known Annabeth felt like longer. It wasn't possible that he could care about someone's death if he hadn't known them for long. _Then again, Leo…either I'm just a super caring person, or I'm wrong about, like everything. Shit, did I just talk about Leo's death like it was a joke?!_

Something shifted in the darkness behind him. Percy whipped out his sword, ready to charge, but then it solidified and it was blonde and it was _Annabeth!_

Percy actually laughed, laughed right out loud, and then sheathed his sword and reached out to hug her. Annabeth made an 'oomph' noise, and Percy drew back. "Sorry!"

"S'fine," Annabeth mumbled. Percy noticed that she was clutching at her stomach. "It's…nice..to see you."

"What happened?" Percy asked.

Annabeth grimaced and shook her head. "Nothing."

"What do you mean, nothing?"

"What did it…sound…sound like?" Annabeth's voice was a rasp.

"Do you need any water?" Percy asked. Whatever Annabeth claimed, she wasn't okay. Percy wasn't willing to let her die too.

The thought almost made him drop the water bottle in his hand. Where had that come from? There was only one winner.

 _Leo,_ a small voice in his head said. _She's Leo's district partner._

 _Whatever,_ Percy answered.

"I'm glad to see you again," he told Annabeth.

"W-W-Why?" she stuttered out, and Percy had never been so glad to see such an aggressive look on someone's face. "We're enemies, you know that."

"Yeah, I guess." Percy honestly wasn't sure why he felt so happy. There was something about seeing a familiar (more familiar) face in the Arena. There was something about being around a person that he could trust. There was something about Annabeth.

"You're weird."

"That's my middle name, you know."

Annabeth shook her head. "You're such…such a…seaweed brain."

"Seaweed Brain, huh?" Percy felt like laughing again. "Okay, then."

XXXXX

The pain was screaming through Nancy's body like fire and it almost made her regret wanting to torture the people she had killed. It was like knives and then she was regretting volunteering in the first place. It made her want to die, actually _want to die,_ and that was when she wondered why she had done it.

 _"You're just an ugly nobody that's never going to get anywhere," Allina had told her. "I don't know why you bother waking up in the morning when you daddy doesn't love you and when your mommy didn't love you enough to not kill herself and when you don't have any friends—"_

 _Nancy punched her across the face. "I—I don't need anyone to love me!" The words were almost comforting, like a lullaby. "I'm going to be somebody! I'm going to win the Games, you'll see!"_

Being a winner had never seemed farther off. Things were drifting out of focus, fading black, and things were almost hurting less…if this was dying, then maybe, maybe…maybe Nancy would see her mother again…

XXXXX

A cannon fired.

 **Tributes:  
D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D3: Annabeth Chase  
D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue  
D5: Jason Grace  
D7: Grover Underwood  
D8: Ethan Nakamura  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **And so District 1 and 6 have been eliminated and only Districts 4, 10, and 12 have two tributes left, we're at the final 14, and things only get worse from here. And by worse I mean - better. Yes, better. Not that I'm going to kill even more people.**

 **Reviews make me happy.**


	21. The Will to Kill

Jason wasn't stupid enough to actually fall asleep. Nico had allowed him to stay the night with his alliance, with pressure from Will and Hazel, but he was glaring at Jason anyway and demanded that he leave in the morning. Jason wasn't willing to hang around and let the angry boy snap.

The hallway that they had dragged themselves into to get away from the turtle carcass was thankfully dark. They had settled down about half an hour after the anthem had played, and then the sponsor gifts had started. Water, food. Even some bandages and pain medicine that Will had used to doctor himself up. Still, Jason knew that it couldn't last. The tension in the air was almost palpable, and the viewers would be bored if there wasn't more bloodshed soon. A cannon had gone off sometime in the night, and Jason knew that there were people dying out there, and that he could easily be one of them.

The hall that Jason was in was made of a dark wood—teak, Hazel had called it. The walls, ceiling, and floor met each other at perfect right angles. There was no source of light that Jason could see. The floorboards creaked painfully as he made his way across them, moving farther and farther from the others. Jason reached out a hand against the cold wood to steady himself. The darkness and his own fatigue gave everything a dreamlike, unbalanced feel. Jason could almost feel the ghosts swirling in the air. He imagined his mother, watching him from the ceiling, pressed against the wood. He imagined Piper, following him, eyes angry and betrayed. He imagined Leo, laughter forever silenced. He made himself stop imagining things. H had to get some distance on the others—well, Nico—before whatever counted as _morning_ came.

It came to Jason that he could be wandering straight into the Careers. He forced that thought from his mind, too. He'd cross that bridge when he'd come to it.

"So you're leaving."

Jason's heart gave a jolt and began hammering. It was Nico's voice. Slowly, slowly, Jason turned hoping that he'd imagined it. But no, the boy stood there, his white skin almost glowing in the dark.

"Yes," Jason said, trying to keep his voice even.

"And you're stealing _our_ supplies."

The backpack that Jason had suddenly got heavier. "No, they were _mine,_ remember?"

"I should kill you now."

Jason understood the threat. By leaving, he had quit the alliance. Nico no longer had any reason to leave him alive. He could claim that Jason was simply gone when Will and Hazel woke up. Why was Jason such an idiot? Why on earth did he think that leaving would prolong his life? _What would Thalia do?_ Jason wondered. _Probably fight her way out of this._ Jason's eyes were drawn to where Nico had a hand on the hilt of his sword. Jason was unarmed. Desperately grasping at straws, he started talking. "But you won't."

"Why not?"

Jason's breathing was heavy, uneven. "Because…because you think you're fighting for Hazel and Will. But once you kill me—I'm unarmed. I'm not a threat. Once you kill me, you're a murderer and you'll never be able to go back. You'll kill them too, just 'cause you can't see a reason not to." It was the stupidest thing that he had ever said, and he knew it. Still, there was something about Nico in this dark. He looked hesitant. Scared. He wasn't a killer, Jason knew that. "Besides, what would…Bianca…think?"

It was the wrong thing to say.

The change in Nico's demeanor was immediate. "Don't you talk about my sister," he hissed. "You didn't know here! You can't talk about her!"

Jason bit back an apology and started backing up, tense, ready to spring. But Nico…just…stopped. He bit back a sob. Jason had never felt so surprised. "This once, Grace," Nico snarled. "Just this once."

Jason turned and ran.

XXXXX

Frank's stomach didn't hurt any less when he woke up.

It was like he had gotten hit by a horse—no, by a stampede of horses followed by some cows and maybe one or two angry knife-bearing tributes. A horrible smell pervaded his nose. Forcing himself to turn his head, Frank saw the corpse of the wolf. Nancy was gone. She had either woken up or died, although if she'd been able to stand, Frank doubted that he would still be alive. She had looked pretty bad, too… _Good riddance,_ a small, horrible part of him thought. _She's the worst kind of person in this world._

A small slot in the wall opened, revealing a bottle of water! He and Hazel had shared some on the first night, but dehydration had already been starting to set it. "Thanks, Shen," Frank said, hoping that his mentor was watching. He forced himself to take small sips. He had to find Hazel. He wasn't sure of how he was going to do it, but he had to find her. He had come so close to death yesterday…Frank had realized that he didn't want to die. He didn't want to die with so many unfinished things left in his life. He didn't want to die alone.

A wave of nausea hit him, and Frank leaned against the wall, hoping it would pass. What time was it? It had been the second day of the Games when Nancy had hit him with a knife. It could have been any time after, now that he thought of it.

Surveying the room again, Frank saw Grover.

Grover was still alive.

He looked pretty bad, though. Frank really had to keep himself from throwing up as he got a look at Grover's arm. A whole chunk of skin had been cut off, down to the bone. In addition, Grover's other arm looked wounded. Still, the skin looked puffy and red. Infected.

Frank squeezed his eyes shut. What was he supposed to do? Should he kill Grover? But Grover could still survive, and Frank didn't want to kill anybody. Should he leave Grover here? Grover could live, right? But for how long? What if another tribute stumbled onto him? How long would it take for him to die of dehydration? What if he healed, and killed Frank or Hazel?  
Another panel opened, and a knife fell out.

Shen wanted him to kill Grover. Was there another explanation? _Please, let there be another explanation._

Frank's stomach churned. He had to kill Grover, didn't he? To prove his worth. To protect himself. To save Grover some suffering.

Approaching the older boy was hard. Frank felt like his feet had become lead, each step feeling heavy and impossible to take. Frank wanted to run in the opposite direction, but he knew that he couldn't stop. If he stopped, he would never get started again.

 _Be brave, Grandmother told him._

Grover's arm was definitely infected. It seemed to be oozing pus, and it was red and bloated and smelled awful. Frank hated himself for feeling glad that Grover would die anyway if he didn't do the deed himself.

 _You can be strong if you want to, little bear, his mother whispered in one of his only memories of her._

His mother would hate him, hate him…

But Frank wanted to _live._

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and brought the knife down.

XXXXX

Jason internally screamed as two tributes came around the bend of the cement pipe that he was resting in, coming into his view. He should have kept moving! He had told himself that with so many twists and turns, it was pointless to keep on plodding along. But this was just proof that the Gamemakers were heavily manipulating the maze, driving tributes together. The round, heavily graffitied cement pipe had seemed the least populated of all of the areas he'd been through. Honestly…it reminded him of home. It reminded him of the walls with all of their spray paint, acting as a constant reminder that even the Peacekeepers couldn't keep 5 safe from the gang violence. Jason had never thought that he would find graffiti comforting. He pushed his glasses farther up on his nose, terrified that he would miss some sort of movement and die.

The boy he recognized. It was Percy, from 4. A Career! Jason's heart went even faster than it had been going. Couldn't he get a break? But the girl traveling with him…Leo's district partner, Ann-something. What was Percy doing with her?

Jason stood, torn between running and fighting, but the two had already seen him. Percy's stance immediately changed. He straightened, drawing his sword. "Percy, no," the girl with him said.

"Annabeth, I have to do this."

"No, you don't."

"Only one person makes it home, Annabeth!"

"So should I kill you right now? You said you'd prove me wrong, Percy."

Thoughts swirled angrily through Percy's head. He had to kill Jason! If he was going to prove he was Career, a player in the Games, he had to kill Jason. But at the same time…Annabeth was right. He _wasn't_ a Career anymore. His mother, Tyson—they shouldn't have to watch him kill an innocent boy.

Percy glared at Jason. "I'll give you five minutes to run."

Jason turned around and fled.

Annabeth found herself annoyed with Percy. It was hard to keep her emotions in check, too, with an arm that felt like it was on fire and a darkening vision and the pipe swirling around her. She didn't want to admit it, but Percy terrified her at that moment. He seemed like he could snap, and kill her! "I think that Tyson must have been proud of you," she tried. Percy's face softened.

"We're killing the next person we see," Percy said to her.

Annabeth tried to hide her surprise and fear at the notion, but honestly…for once, Percy might have been making the smart decision. Did she have to kill everyone else to come out alive?

(Didn't that include Percy?)

XXXXX

Hazel really hated the sound of cannons.

One had gone off just a few minutes ago. Nico and Will had both jolted in surprise. Hazel's first thought was of Frank. She never should have let them be separated! She should have found a way to stay with him! She shouldn't have stayed behind to help Will, she should have started searching for her district partner, with his sweet smile and kind eyes and… _Shut up,_ Hazel told herself.

Her next thought was of Jason. He had been gone in the morning and Hazel had seen a shifty look on Nico's face. What had happened? Had Nico mortally injured him, and he only had died now? Or maybe it was from another cause. Maybe it was someone else entirely. Hazel reviewed the people left in the Arena. _Nancy, Reyna, Annabeth, Percy, Clarisse, Jason, Grover, Ethan, Will, Frank, Katie, Nico, and his district partner…Zoe. With me makes 14. With two cannons having gone off since last Anthem, 12. Shit, is it really only the fourth day of the Games? 12 of us are dead already!_

"Who do you think…" Will trailed off. Hazel almost envied him at times. His district partner had already died. He didn't have the same cause for alarm that they did when an anonymous cannon went off. Then she hated herself for thinking that. "Don't worry, guys. I'm sure it wasn't Frank. Or Zoe."

 _Yeah, not Zoe,_ Nico thought to himself. But his reason for not wanting Zoe dead was different from what the blond boy thought it was. He needed to kill Zoe, or at least confront her before she died. After all, that was why he had volunteered! Then, it was only a matter of getting himself home.

Though lately, getting himself home had expanded to include Will too. They had been doing a lot of talking lately. Will had told him about his family, his friends, his talents and what he had worried about back in District 9. Nico had listened, mostly, but had sometimes opened up about his own life. About Bianca. About his absent father and dead mother. About how he had no friends. About how he was sometimes terrified of going back to a district that had no love for him.

Nico's ears honed in on footsteps coming from down the plush hallway—muffled, for sure, but whoever it was had no idea what stealth meant. Nico drew his sword. Will tried to push himself up.

The person turned the corner. It was Hazel's district partner.

"Frank!" Hazel called, dropping her combative pose and running at him. She hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back. Hazel's cheeks almost went red. She was probably freaking him out, but Frank was so much to her, and hugging him just felt _right_ even though they hadn't done it since they were much younger.

"Hazel, I am so glad that I found you." Hazel could sense the deep emotion in his voice and it almost made her tear up because it was proof that Frank _cared,_ that he actually _cared—_

"Yeah." Hazel was embarrassed that her voice was thick with tears, and without thinking about it, she kissed him.

Instantly, Hazel drew back, surprised, scared that Frank would hate her. He was blushing. "H-Hazel," he started.

"I'm sorry," Hazel said.

"No, it's—I—well—that just, felt right."

Nico cleared his throat, annoyed that that his former ally and her district partner were now kissing without a care in the world. "This is where it ends, then."

Hazel pulled back, looking surprised. "No! I mean, we can all be an alliance."

"We aren't having an alliance of four."

Surprisingly, it was Frank who stood up and supported him. "Nico's right. I think that Nancy's dead, and that leaves three Careers—Reyna, Clarisse, and Percy. If we have four, then we're the new threat in the Games, and that makes us…the hunters, I guess."

"Listen to your boyfriend," Nico spat. "Go, before I kill you!"

"Nico." Will placed his hand on Nico's wrist. A friendly gesture. A restraining one. One that made blood rush to Nico's face.

"Nico, we can part peacefully!" Hazel insisted.

"Yeah, if you leave now," Nico said. "Otherwise, we fight."

"Nico—" Hazel started. Nico didn't want to listen to this. He had never felt so betrayed in his life. He had trusted Hazel and Will, but now they were going to leave with Frank and he could _never_ get _anyone_ in his life to stay with him, could he? He had to kill the pair from 10! They were a threat now that they weren't in an alliance with him, and he had to protect his life and Will's…

"GO!" Nico screamed.

"I'm sorry," Hazel said, and then she and Frank went back the way he had came.

"Well?" Nico asked Will. "Go."

"I'm staying with you."

And of course _that_ was when tears welled up in Nico's eyes. He turned away from Will. "Fine."

Will placed a hand on his shoulder. Nico knew that the gesture was supposed to be comforting, and it was, although he couldn't help but read more into it. Nico forced his feelings down. "Come on." Nico said.

"Where?" Nico felt stupid, remembering the bandages on Will's (surprisingly muscular) stomach.

"One of us is making it home," Nico told him. "Okay?"

"I have no objections, but do you really want to do this?"

"We have to. We have to hunt."

"Nico, no. We're not becoming the killers of these Games," Will insisted.

Nico opened his mouth, ready to spit profanities and accusations and hate but all that came out was "fine."

And then, "What now?"

XXXXX

 _I really just can't get a break,_ Jason thought to himself. First Nico. Then Percy and Anna—Annabeth! Right. It would have been nice to sit down and stop being in perpetual fear all of the time.

Jason stopped for a few moments, catching his breath. He ached all over, and he was thirsty, but he couldn't dip into his meager supply of water yet. He had to stay strong. He had survived into the final twelve. That wasn't too bad. Turning around, Jason surveyed the new hallway segment he had entered. There were small alcoves in the stone walls with glowing rocks resting in them, which illuminated small parts of the hallway. Jason slowly touched the ground, unable to see because of the darkness in the hallway. It was cold. Stone, maybe, or cement. The glowing rocks continued a lot farther down, and went back, too, as far as he could see. There seemed to be a fork in the path up ahead. Jason continued down the hallway, now shivering. It was cold with all that stone, and now his sweat only served to make him colder. Jason turned left at the fork.

And stopped in his tracks as he came face to face with a pair of eyes.

 **Tributes:**

 **D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D3: Annabeth Chase  
D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue  
D5: Jason Grace  
D8: Ethan Nakamura  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **I know that this was a very Jason-centric chapter, but...I had reasons. Reviews would be great. Seriously. And now we've hit the Final Twelve. Any recommendations for the Final Eight?**


	22. Collapse

**AN: Just warning everyone, this fic moves somewhat M-rated for a bit in this chapter.**

Percy didn't think that he had to be a genius or whatever like Annabeth to realize that she was hurt. Badly. She held her left arm off to the side and avoided moving it like it was hurting her. She was pale, her skin sallow, sweaty. Still, he admired how she was trying to stay strong and how she hadn't complained yet.

"Do you have family?" He asked her, trying yet again to start a conversation.

Annabeth shrugged. She was shaking. "Let's sit down," Percy suggested. They had been trying to find their way back to the Cornucopia from what Annabeth could remember about different sections of the Arena, but Percy had a feeling that it was futile. He _hated_ that feeling. Annabeth had suggested that there might be something at the Cornucopia—medicine, Percy assumed. But it could take a long time to get back. Annabeth could be dead by then! What if she died? Percy cursed District 3's mentors. Why weren't they sending anything?

And when Percy got scared, he started talking. "I have family," he started, and then stopped. He was getting irrationally afraid of offending Annabeth. But she nodded. Percy went on. "My dad is a—P.E. teacher." Delphin's advice— _"Don't tell anyone about training, you idiot!"—_ had popped back into his mind. Scrambling, Percy tried to come up with more lies to cover his tracks while still telling Annabeth the truth. "Um…I'm not sure if you have P.E. in your district, but that's where everyone goes outside and runs around and stuff."

Annabeth laughed. Actually laughed. For some reason, Percy's heart soared. "We don't have much in Three for school other than, like, school, and stuff," she said.

"Oh. What's your school like?"

Annabeth shrugged, swallowing hard. "It's easy. All about technology. We get the history of Panem every Friday. We study the Games a bit."

"Us too." Percy could name every Victor from 4, not to mention ever 4 tribute who had made it to the final 6. It would be easier in 3, right, since they didn't have as many Victors? Let alone tributes in the Final 8. They were cannon fodder—

What was he thinking?! This was Annabeth's district! This is what she had meant when she asked him to prove her wrong. She wanted him not to be some guy from 4 who killed and thought of her and her home as the cannon fodder, the background characters in their story. And he was no different!

 _I'm sorry, Tyson,_ he though. _I'm not the big brother that you thought I was. I'm sorry, Mom. You taught me. I just wasn't learning. I'm sorry, Annabeth._

He was no different.

XXXXX

This dead end was different.

It was a room not too different from the place where she had destroyed the stone creature, a place not too different from where Katie had revealed her true colors as a traitor. Where Zoe herself had left Annabeth behind. But there were pillars, too, seemingly holding the room up. The ceiling was high above her, and—were those _stars?_ Was this where the Arena ended?

Zoe allowed the prospect to excite her. Stars, the outdoors—that was where she belonged. Not in such a closed, artificial environment. She was a huntress, and archer. Powerful. Uncontainable. A survivor, despite the despicable people who had tried to destroy her in her life. Zoe's shoulders sagged. Suddenly, the events in her life, the weight of the world, seemed like a larger thing, not just something that she could cast off and grow stronger over.

Zoe had to see the stars.

No. That was idiotic. She had to try and find her way out of this portion of the Arena. If she could see the rest of the labyrinth that they were in from a top view, it could be extremely helpful—or at least, slightly helpful. Zoe had a feeling that the Arena was shifting around her.

Zoe made her way to the nearest column and gingerly placed her hands on it. She pushed a bit. It held, seeming solid, like true rock. Zoe took a piece of rope from her backpack and wrapped it around the column, holding one scratchy end in each hand. Slowly, she pushed herself up. Step by step. The solidness of the stone under her shoes was comforting. Her face, though, was pressed against the cold, rough, rock. Her hands were burning.

But she was going to see the stars.

And then, about halfway up, something changed.

The rock gave a rumble. Another column, maybe five away from where Zoe was, began tumbling down…and then her own column was shaking and desperately, Zoe threw here feet into the open air, trusting the rope and her own arm strength to carry her down safely. For a few feet, it worked. But it was not enough.

Would it ever be enough?

Zoe's left arm screamed out, and Zoe instinctively let go—had she pulled something?! Broken something?! How had she let herself be so stupid?—and then the rope, as if in slow motion, whipped off of the column and she was falling…

No, no, no!

Zoe Nightshade was not going to die like this!

Zoe pulled her body into a summersault and hit the ground running, tears flying out of her eyes with the pain of her arm, the exertion, and the speed at which she had been falling. Adrenaline alone kept her on her feet. The seemingly-solid walls of the room, made out of stone blocks, were caving it. Zoe ran for her life.

She felt the shadow of a huge piece of debris and flung herself out of the way, screaming out loud as she rolled on her injured arm. Zoe used her right arm to shove herself up, twisting her body to avoid the next falling rock, which nevertheless sent up a shock of dust, blinding her. Zoe forced herself to keep moving, trusting her instincts to carry her in the direction of the door. An ominous noise from above, and Zoe careened off in another direction. The door seemed a bit closer.

 _Zoe was ten years old as her father, Atlas Nightshade sneered down at her. "You helped him."_

 _"I did." Zoe's voice remained strong, unbroken, despite her meager age of 10._

 _"YOU STUPID BITCH!" Atlas swung at her, hitting her across the cheek with a closed fist. Zoe fell. Atlas punched again. Zoe forced herself to think through the pain. Would one of her sister help her? Please, let them help her…_

 _"You betrayed us! You helped that fucking boy steal apples from our trees! We eat those! We sell them! Those are our livelihood! How dare you?!" Zoe's father roared. Zoe thought of the boy she had help, trying to draw strength from him. He had been starving. He had needed the food._

 _"You are a Nightshade! You do not associate with scum!" Zoe refused to cry._

 _"Get out." Atlas's voice was scalding, and at the same time burning with cold. His entire body shook with rage._

 _"Father…"_

 _"Get out!"_

 _His daughter fled._

Wiping the dust from her eyes, Zoe tumbled across the floor, ever muscle in her body aching. Zoe took a moment to rest, forcing her body to take in the gasps of dusty air. She had to survive. She had to. Perhaps she had never meant to come home, but she would not allow herself to die in such an undignified manner! She was a—

What? A Nightshade?

She had stopped being part of that family a long time ago.

Choking on dust, _breathe Zoe breathe—_

 _Zoe was ten when she begged the boy she had given the apples to help her. His gaze as he looked at her was cold and unfeeling, and at the same time made her feel hot with shame. "No."_

A girl? A woman? But that meant that she was strong, and Zoe felt so weak—

A tribute? A Victor?

A huntress?

 _Zoe was twelve when she starts up a conversation with the girl next to her at the District 12 Reaping. "I don't get it," she confided._

 _The girl looked afraid, and was almost edging away. "What?"_

 _"Why do they go?"_

 _"It's the Reaping, stupid."_

 _"But why doesn't anyone volunteer?"_

 _The girl's expression is incredulous. "Why would they? They don't wanna die!"_

 _Zoe almost let a smile break across her face. Almost. Because she wanted to save someone from death, she wanted to prove that she was not useless, she wanted to be strong and somehow, being up there would prove that. "I'm gonna volunteer."_

Zoe forced herself up, making herself tune out all of the noise and destruction in the background, instead making a mad dash for the door.

But the next rock Zoe did not see.

It crashed into her, and another, and another.

 _Zoe was fourteen when the men came out of the darkness. After two years on the streets, Zoe knew enough to be afraid. She also knew enough not to show it. "Let me by."_

 _"I don't think so." The voice was dark, menacing, and filled Zoe with complete terror but also the want to fight._

 _But then they were upon her and it was all fear and Zoe didn't understand what was happening and why they were doing this to her, but—_

 _No._

 _She was strong._

 _She would not allow herself to be defeated by these pigs, these_ men, _who waited in alleyways for innocent women like her_ —

 _And all it took was her getting her hands on one of their knives and then she was leaving, alone, with some more blood on her hands._

It was dark. And it blocked most of the noise, the rocky prison that Zoe was trapped in. And it hurt. Everything hurt. Zoe hated this kind of confined dark. She could not let herself die like this! She couldn't!

Right hand, right arm. Strength from being in the woods and making a living there. The will to live. Pure, raw, power.

Zoe pushed.

And the rocks moved.

And Zoe stood, bruised and bloody but _alive_ and as she headed for the door, she realized that she did not want to die.

She was a _survivor._

XXXXX

The eyes blinked. Jason blurted out a scream, holding his sword at the ready, swinging wildly because he was not ready to die, not yet! But somehow, his blade was blocked, and his assailant stepped out of the shadows. The sunstones in the wall seemed to get brighter. Of course. The Gamemakers were trying to set the stage for a nice battle. Who was he going to face off against?

Of course. Piper's district partner. Ethan.

"We don't have to fight," Jason said, worried that it was completely useless. There was something in Ethan's eyes, something that convinced Jason that the boy in front of him had gone of the rails completely.

"Why not?" Ethan's voice was shrill, desperate. "So you can kill me when I turn around?"

"No! We can live to fight another day. We each just back away in our own direction." But weren't Percy and Annabeth back that way? There was no safe path!

"You'll kill me! You're all trying to kill me! But you can't! I know your type." There was something in Ethan's eyes, more than unhinged. Something like bloodlust. "I'll kill you first!" Ethan swung.

Jason blocked it, the light shining off of his sword and making it glow like the sun that rose in 5 on clear days, when the wind blew the smog away. Jason tried to take heart in it as he parried the next forceful blow, and the next. Ethan was panicking, that much was obvious. Jason had the advantage because of that. He had the power to remain calm, and as long as he stayed clear-minded, he should be able to take Ethan easily. Ethan thrusted, and Jason made his sword almost perpendicular to the ground as he swung it and knocked Ethan's blow out of the way. Ethan's next swing wasn't as powerful, but all of his bodily momentum was behind it. Jason knocked him back, surprised at the force that he had behind his own parry. He advanced on Ethan now, going on the offensive. Ethan began wildly swinging in front of himself, barely blocking anything.

Jason made a final thrust, scraping Ethan's side, and drew away with blood on his blade. The sight of it made him dizzy. Ethan didn't seem to affected by it, but threw his knife at Jason.

The blade hit him in the stomach. Jason stumbled back, winded, but a soaring sensation was going through him, because Ethan had missed! Or rather, it was the hilt, and not the blade of Ethan's knife that had struck him. Feeling bruised, Jason still moved forward. Ethan was on the ground. Jason raised his sword. He had won!

Except.

Except. Ethan had gotten a 7 and Jason had gotten a 5 and he hadn't thought much of it at the moment, but it was obvious that there was serious difference in how skilled they were at fighting.

Except. Jason was not ready to kill Ethan, to kill _anyone,_ and Ethan was, and that made all the difference in the end because Jason's single moment of hesitation while bringing down his sword was enough for Ethan to spring to his feet and to tackle Jason, screaming as Jason's blade hit him, but nonetheless diverting the sword to the side and wrapping his hands around Jason's throat.

Desperately now, Jason tried to move his sword, to kill, to survive, to live! But it was useless! Jason gasped, not bringing in any air even though his mouth moved open and shut like a fish. His vision was darkening. He couldn't…he couldn't…

The hands were there and there was too much…

 _Thalia,_ Jason tried to mouth.

Something new came into his blackened vision with each tired blink. His mother. Jason tried to will her away. He didn't want her here, in his last moments.

There were new faces swimming at the edge of his vision. Piper…Leo…

 _Thalia,_ Jason tried. _Thalia._

XXXXX

"And here we are," Clarisse snapped, back in the Cornucopia room. She thought that she could spot bloodstains on the ground, but the golden horn was still full of supplies and weapons. Good. One of the outliers couldn't go and get their hands on any of her bounty.

"Good," Reyna said.

"Did you think we wouldn't make it back, Princess?"

"I think that we should thank the Capitol for allowing us to come back unhindered."

Clarisse grunted. Maybe there was wisdom in trying to keep the Capitol on their side. Maybe. And maybe Princess was a presumptuous suck-up who Clarisse needed to kill, and soon.

"We're not breaking the alliance," Reyna said bluntly. Clarisse looked at her in alarm, hand on her spear. Had Princess just read her thoughts, or something? But Princess continued. "I don't hate to admit that you're a good ally. You're strong. Smart. There are other threats on there, and I don't fancy going up against an outlier alone. I know that I can beat them, but I think that we're safer together. Not to mention, we don't break our alliances on the fourth day. Code of honor."

"Honor," Clarisse agreed. Now _there_ was something that she could actually get herself behind. "So, what now?"

Princess winced. Clarisse felt a mean sense of satisfaction, and relief, really, that she was hurt. If Clarisse needed to take Princess out, it would be much easier if the girl was injured. Still, honor. Clarisse had to remember that if she wanted to make her father proud.

A cannon fired.

Reyna sighed. "Another dead, and not by our hands. Who else dangerous is left?"

"Jackson. Bobofit. Nakamura, maybe. A few other shady-seeming ones."

"Alright. We wait here to see the dead listing. We hunt again tomorrow."

XXXXX

The cannon fired. Ethan kept his hands wrapped around the throat of the blonde boy with the glasses. Jason was still alive! He was just faking! Ethan had to make sure he wasn't! Carefully, Ethan scooted his blade closer to him and slit Jason's throat.

No new cannons. Was Jason still, miraculously, resisting death? What if a Gamemaker was helping him by not firing his cannon? Ethan had to get away! They were coming for him! They all were! The first boy, Castor, the first body in these Games that Ethan had found himself standing over. Annabeth, who was still alive—was his poison not working? What was going on? She would kill him! They all would!

He had to kill them first!

XXXXX

Nico had been digressing ever since Hazel had left with Frank. He hadn't said anything, and that was what scared Will the most. He just knew that Nico was stewing in his anger, in his feelings of betrayal. Did Will feel betrayed? Sure. Almost worse was the fact that Hazel and Frank were a threat, and no longer part of their group. But Will was trying to let it go. Hazel deserved happiness in her last few days.

 _Last few days? Did I really think that?_

Then again, was it such a bad thing to think? As things stood now, ten of them in the Arena were going to die in the next few days. If Will was going to be bitter towards anyone for trying to be happy or maybe to live longer, then it shouldn't be Hazel.

(Austin, maybe, but no, Will was happy that his brother wasn't here, glad that it was him because he loved Austin too much to let him die.)

Will was getting very worried about Nico, though. It was obvious that he was getting angry, bitter. Will had no idea why his ally had volunteered for this, but whatever the reason, it was haunting him. Driving him insane. Will had to stop Nico, let him let go of his anger. He was afraid for the boy.

Nico tried to look anywhere but at Will as the pair sat in the hallway. Will was still getting over his stomach wound. Nico was trying to use that time to think about…things, but it was hard. Partly because he felt so exposed and vulnerable. They were sitting ducks! They needed a more defensible position.

In addition to that, a cannon earlier meant that there were only 11 of them left. One of those was Zoe. When Nico told himself, _I need to kill Zoe,_ it came to him that he might have sounded crazy. But it wasn't completely insane. He had come into the Arena to kill Zoe. He needed to confront her about what she'd done before she died. Time was running out.

And that conclusion was without even considering the beautifully complicated blond boy that he had allied himself with.

XXXXX

It felt natural to have his hand in Hazel's. It felt _right._

It felt dangerous.

The two of them had walked away from Hazel's former allies in silence. They had left the padded hallway and traveled through a dark corridor lit by sunstones that made Frank worried, and finally into a hexagonal hallway made completely out of wood—teak, maybe, like the kind that Hazel's mother had. That was when they had run into the threat. The vaguely humanoid golden robot in front of them made Frank's hair and teeth stand on edge. There was something creepy about it.

It could also probably kill them. Hazel raised her hard-earned sword, but Frank all too aware of the fact that he was weaponless. Suddenly, a slot in the wall opened, and something fell out.

A shield!

Shen and Hecuba, their mentors, must have spent all of their sponsor money on that. Where had they gotten the money for it? Blood rose to Frank's cheeks as he realized that everyone in the world had watched him kiss Hazel for the first time. Had any of the money been a result of that? The idea scared him.

Frank picked up the shield. It seemed to be bronze. Cold. There was a piece of fabric on the back that he could slip his arm into. "Do you think—"

But like Frank's voice had broken some spell, the robot charged them.

17 years of living in District 10 saved them. They knew the drill when it came to charging horses, and instinctively, each of them dove to one side. The hexagon shape of the hallway made Frank lean back against the wood, struggling for traction to get back up. _If only I had a bow,_ Frank thought. _We need a distance weapon!_

The robot had thick arms and legs and a thick body. Frank couldn't tell where the head was. It turned back around, charging Hazel, who stepped forward and swung at it. Frank opened his mouth, but he wasn't able to scream. He had never felt so useless! He had to help Hazel.

So he charged the robot. He launched himself up, grabbing onto the thing's back, slipping the shield onto his arm, smashing it against the robot's head.

"Move!" Hazel screamed at him. Frank brought his legs around to the thing's back, trying to move upwards, and Hazel stabbed the robot's torso. Frank couldn't see much effect. Moving higher, he banged his head against the ceiling. Gritting his teeth, Frank bashed his shield into the robot.

Again.

And again.

And again, until it fell, Frank with it. Frank hit the ground next to the monster feeling bruised but very, very alive. _Are you happy now, Grandmother?_ he thought to himself.

And then things faded out. The last thing that Frank saw was Hazel's worried face.

XXXXX

So Nancy was dead then.

Reyna watched the redheaded girl's face shine on the high ceiling of the Cornucopia room and wondered when she and Clarisse were going to break the alliance.

And knew that if it was any time soon, she had the disadvantage.

XXXXX

Jason's face came onto the wooden sky, and maybe it was stupid, but Annabeth had never felt so guilty. Well, probably not.

But if she hadn't let Percy force him away, then maybe he still would have been alive.

"I have brothers," Annabeth finally volunteered to her ally.

Percy looked at her, interest in his green eyes. "Yeah?"

"Half-brothers, actually."

"What are their names?"

Annabeth took a breath. Let it out. "Bobby and Matthew."

XXXXX

The third death of the day was apparently Grover. Katie had never interacted with him, but it was still strange to see another one of her competitors dead. He had been older than her. He had a girlfriend.

1 gone. 5 gone. 7 gone.

At her death, 11 would be gone too.

XXXXX

Hazel was pretty sure that the only damage that Frank had done to himself from falling about eight feet was knocking himself out. His face was kind of bruised, and probably so was the rest of him, but…well, he was alive.

So Hazel was relieved when he woke up. He did so just as the last face came onto the sky. "I killed him," Frank said.

A shock ran through her, and Hazel's heart started beating faster even thought she knew that this was _Frank,_ Frank could was kind and would never hurt anybody. Was he lying? Delirious?

"I'm sorry," Frank muttered.

Hazel kissed him.

And wondered who he was apologizing to.

 **Tributes:**

 **D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D3: Annabeth Chase  
D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue  
D8: Ethan Nakamura  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **Ahem. It's come to my attention that since I'm killing off my favorite characters, I should probably write eulogies or something. Since this chapter has already gone on too long, I'll write the rest of the ones I haven't yet next chapter. Feel free not to read them, but for closure, I need to write this.**

 **JASON: Jason has never been one of my favorite canon characters. I feel like we never really learned much about his character, just his powers. Still, while writing this, I felt like I was actually managing to turn him into a real person. I know that my writing from his POV was rather bland, but it was a joy trying to have him develop as a person. I knew that he was never going to be a winner, but it hurt to kill him. RIP.**

 **ELLA: Ella was a harpy. And that made it really interesting to change her into a fully mortal Tribute. In the end, I made her have physically and emotionally abusive older sisters, although I don't think that really came out in the narrative as much as her amazing memory did. I really loved writing her perspective. Her sentence structure and her use of the third person was just…awesome to do, and she was one of my favorite characters. I wanted to keep her alive, I really did. Sadly, I had to be logical. Ella was the youngest Tribute, and one of the lowest scoring ones. She had to die. RIP, Ella.**

 **CASTOR: Castor was…interesting. I say this because we have heard all of two sentences about him in canon. This was great, because I could do whatever I wanted with him. It was also terrible, because with so many dynamic characters, especially ones that had the spotlight in canon, there was no way for him to get the time that he needed to shine. I gave him a simple backstory, and I knew that he would die from the time I started writing the outline of the Bloodbath chapter. I feel as though people at home and his killer will honestly be more affected by his death than his life. RIP, Castor. Sorry.**


	23. A Collection of Things

Fear. That was what was consuming Percy. Annabeth was getting worse, fast. Her skin had turned greenish, and she was shivering despite the…actually, there was no heat or cold in the Arena. Was that really the first time Percy had realized it? He bet that Annabeth had figured it out a long time ago.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked for the eight time.

Annabeth just glared at him, but her face crumpled within moments of it, turning agonized. "Y-Yes," she stuttered.

Percy glared at the sky. Why wasn't anyone sending help?

"We'll find something," Percy said, knowing how empty it sounded. What chance did they have of finding anything? All that there was was the monotony of the maze. There was no escape. No escape, and nine other tributes somewhere around them.

XXXXX

It was one of _those_ days.

Merely five days into the Games, and Reyna was incapacitated enough that she and Clarisse had to rest at the Cornucopia. They were supposed to be the hunters of the Games, Reyna knew. The terrors. The two of them were the second and third highest scorers (the Nightshade girl's score itched at the back of Reyna's mind, annoying her). Even with just the two of them, they could most likely take out any competitors that they happened on. But with her stomach wound…Reyna refused to think about it.

 _First things first,_ Reyna told herself. The other Tributes weren't truly threats, not now. The first thing that should have been on her radar was Clarisse. Reyna was reluctant to break down the alliance with her. The alliance of 1, 2, and 4 was sacred, despite Percy Jackson's betrayal. And if the alliance broke down…Clarisse could probably kill her. She could _die._

No. That was not an option. Reyna had not come this far to—

"Don't kill me in my sleep," Clarisse said.

It couldn't have been more than thirteen hours since the last anthem. Why was Clarisse going to sleep? And while Reyna respected the fact that Clarisse was able to be blunt, she resented the implication that she would betray an ally like that. Still, it probably meant that Clarisse wouldn't betray her. Right?

Then again, maybe the fact that Clarisse was wearing armor right now meant that she was actually worried about…well, surviving.

Soon enough, snores were coming from Clarisse, and then a panel opened in the gray walls of the Cornucopia room. A few things fell out of it. Reyna's heart quickly fell. It wasn't medicine. Instead…

There was a piece of cloth. Two lumps of coal. A small animal pelt, not anything that Reyna could wear. It was cut almost in half, but when Reyna tugged on the opposite edges (her stomach screamed) it stayed together.

There was a block of salt. Two blocks of salt.

Reyna's mentor, Circe, was trying to tell her something. But Reyna wasn't sure that it wasn't the other mentor, Dakota, a notorious drunk. What did this mean? The things could have been representative…but of what? Coal was what District 12 produced. Two of them…that could have been the two tributes from 12. Cloth. 8. The boy from 8 was still in the game. Salt…what district made salt? There were none! Salt. Salt.

Sea salt. District 4. Percy and Clarisse.

So they were tributes. But there were more of them, that hadn't been mentioned here. Disrict 3. 9. 11. And why was the pelt connected? It was 10, but—

Oh.

The tributes who were threats.

It came to her in an instant. The mentioned objects were threats. District 10. They were only a threat when they were together. Reyna had her plan of action.

Except…Clarisse. Circe was obviously trying to say that Clarisse was a threat. But was Reyna supposed to kill her? What was she supposed to do? What would Hylla do? Her father would hate her. Hylla would hate her for her indecision. But what was she, Reyna, supposed to do with the time she had left?

"No," Reyna said out loud

The panel reopened. A bottle fell out. Medicine.

That wasn't very much of an answer, but it was enough for Reyna.

XXXXX

Will's stomach was feeling better, but he was getting more and more scared of Nico. Will didn't know what the boy wanted, but it was obvious that he was trying to get somewhere. Will just didn't know where. And Will didn't want to admit it, but he was genuinely afraid that Nico might..try to kill him.

Then they stumbled into the other alliance.

It was 3 and 4. Will wasn't sure what Percy was doing with Annabeth, but Annabeth was obviously very sick. Her skin was greenish, pale. She looked like she was in pain. Will immediately assessed the wound. It was on her shoulder. Gross-looking. Poisoned. Who had gotten poison, and where?

"You." Percy was looking at him. Will's heart almost stopped. Well, not literally, but…

"What do you mean?" Nico asked for Will.

"You were at the medicine station. You can heal her."

"No." Will didn't need to hear Nico say his reasons. He knew that his ally didn't want to help another Tribute. His 'win' mentality had gotten almost overpowering. Will knew that he was right, and a terrible part of him was happy that he was allies with a person who could actually make sure he didn't make horrible decisions.

Still, he couldn't let someone else die! He had let Jason go and now Jason was dead. He didn't want to let anyone else die. He couldn't. Everyone was watching him. Kayla. Austin. His parents. What would they think of him if he became a terrible person? If he killed someone by refusing to let them live?

"Nico," he said.

"No."

"Yes," Percy said.

Annabeth didn't say a word.

Will slowly exhaled. He didn't see a way out. He felt sick. Slowly, he started talking. "I can't."

"What?" Percy demanded. "You have to—"

"Percy," Annabeth said.

"The poison's spread too far. If it was just in the arm—I could amputate. I don't know. But it's in your bloodstream completely. I don't think that there's any way…" Will had to stop. He hated himself. Embarrassingly, his eyes started to sting. He sniffed.

"It's okay," Annabeth said, and goddammit if Will didn't hate her too for being so _normal_ about this. She was dying!

Percy felt frantic. Annabeth was dying. She was dying! He wasn't ready for her to die. Slowly, Annabeth sat down. Percy tried to help her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said.

Percy wished that the other two boys would leave and he didn't at the same time because it felt almost good to have other people with him. Even if they could kill him. Which didn't matter anymore, almost, because Will had just confirmed that Annabeth was going to die.

"Please—" Percy choked on a sob. Please what? No sponsor was going to help them now.

Annabeth felt calm. Too calm. The pain was there but it had almost faded once Will said that the poison was in her. It was a part of her now. Annabeth knew how to get over things that were a part of her. Her dyslexia. Her hyperactivity. Her family.

But she was scared. So scared. Because she had a life that no one would envy and she wasn't ready to take all of her secrets to the grave. "I ran away," Annabeth spat out. "I ran away."

Percy gripped her hand tightly. "Yeah." He didn't ask her for more, which Annabeth was grateful for.

"Bobby and Matthew were born and my dad and stepmother didn't care about me anymore. At least it felt like that. And I just couldn't take it. So I ran."

"It's not your f-fault."

"It is. They loved me. Even if he called me the wrong name sometimes and it felt like he didn't…"

And now Annabeth was crying. She couldn't remember the last time that she had cried like this. Not for years. She had to be stronger than that on the streets.

"I took a hammer. And I ran. And I didn't stop running. I went to my mom. She was a big shot in one of the factories. She let me live with her. I hated her, though. I hated her! Why did I hate her?"

"It's not your fault," Percy repeated. His grip was strong. Reassuring.

"She saved me," Annabeth said. "But she didn't care. No one did! I would g-go away for days and come back and no one would realize."

"They care about you," Percy promised.

"I don't hate them," Annabeth said, and fell silent.

Will didn't care that Percy might kill them. He bent down next to Annabeth and took her other hand. "At home in District 9…I don't think that I could have ever imagined living like you did." He didn't know where he was going, but he felt the strange urge to confess as if it was his fault that his life had been happier than Nico and Annabeth's. "We were poor. But happy. And things there are so spread out. We work in the fields for such a long time but we get to be on our own and have parties every Harvest with our Precinct. You can look in any direction and you won't see anything but wheat for miles. And in the winter…it snows, and the world is white and it's so beautiful."

"I didn't like school," Annabeth said. "I couldn't ever read anything but I _understood_ but the teachers didn't like me anyway."

"I didn't get a lot of schooling," Will said. "Everyone has to work so hard throughout the year, and what is there to learn?"

"So many things!" Annabeth replied and she seemed almost revitalized. "Math and science and how to read and how to talk to everyone else. I wanted to learn more and more, but there wasn't anything."

Will heard footfalls. Nico was walking away. A flash of annoyance went through him, but then as he saw Nico's shoulders shaking slightly, he realized that the boy was crying. He looked back at Percy and Annabeth. And then got up. And followed Nico.

XXXXX

Everything that Annabeth could remember was coming out. "I've never drawn a perfect circle. I hate spiders so, so much. There was a spider infestation in my dad's building, though, and there was no way away from them. They'd bite sometimes. I got so afraid."

"I hate spiders too."

"On the streets, I took things from garbage bins and sometimes I'd steal. I'd always hate myself afterwards, you know? But what was the point of feeling guilty? I had to live.

"I've always wanted to make building and design them. Everything in 3 is so smashed together, but I think that it could be so much better if it wasn't. Really beautiful, yeah? And then people could be happy. Parks. Statues. Houses."

"I bet you'd be the best at it."

"I'd like to think so."

They lapsed into a period of silence. Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut, trying to picture deep grass green and the white of marble buildings. She couldn't remember the last time that she'd seen it.

Percy didn't object as Annabeth pushed herself into a sitting position. Something in him flared up with hope, like she was getting better. He reminded himself that there was no way a miracle like that could happen.

"I've never really had friends. Or really connected with my brothers. I've never kissed a boy. I've never—" Tears suddenly came to Annabeth's eyes. All of the nevers were adding up and she didn't want to die, not really! She wanted to go back home and complete her life. It wasn't fair!

Percy looked at her quietly. "What?" Annabeth snapped.

"Nothing."

"Obviously something, Seaweed Brain."

"I think you'd beat me up."

It came to Annabeth how close they were sitting. "You know I'd beat you up."

Percy cracked a smile. "Sure." Since he was an (ex) Career and she was about to die.

"Yeah. You should be afraid."

"I have no doubts, Wise Girl."

Annabeth kissed him.

(It honestly felt like the best thing she had ever done and she could sense his surprise and then he started kissing her back and it kind of hurt but she _wanted_ this before dying—)

Annabeth brought herself under control. "Well."

"I think that you're beautiful, Annabeth," Percy told her.

"You're not so bad yourself."

Her stomach pained her again, and she latched onto Percy's hand as she slid back down the wall. She was feeling woozy, tired. But she wasn't ready to go. Not yet! Never yet.

Percy held her hand as Annabeth drifted off to sleep. As the anthem played (No deaths on Day 5). As he drifted off himself. Holding onto Annabeth, who was still alive.

 **Tributes:**

 **D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D3: Annabeth Chase  
D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue  
D8: Ethan Nakamura  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **CLOVIS: Clovis was another character who was interesting to work with. I think that one of the biggest problems with the Heroes of Olympus series is that characters were no longer defined by themselves, but by their godly parents and powers. Clovis definitely keeps with this theme. As a minor character, the only thing we learn about him is his ha-ha sleeping skills. So I gave him narcolepsy and a need for numbers to stay awake and tried to humanize him. I would have loved to keep him alive and keep on developing him, but again, there was just no way that he could have logically survived the Bloodbath. RIP.**

 **LOU ELLEN: She was one of the most heartbreaking to kill off, and that's because I really loved her as a character. I loved giving her her magic skills and I loved her friendship with Will. I think that she could have gone far and would have been a truly dynamic Tribute, but…this sounds awful, but I kind of needed more people to kill off in the Bloodbath and she was one that I didn't** ** _need_** **for the story and Will and Octavian could really have developed from it. RIP, my beautiful magician.**

 **CONNOR: Yet another name to add to the list of minor characters who we no nothing about. Connor was never given more than five paragraphs of screentime in canon, which again was something interesting to work with. I have many headcanons as to his relationship with his brother, and I tried to work in some of those for this story. Connor could have gone far in a natural Arena, but in such an artificial one, his skills wouldn't have come in handy. Not to mention, I kind of needed Zoe to kill someone, and…he just fit the mold? Honestly, there's no excuse for killing someone as amazing as he is. RIP.**

 **PIPER: The first main character that I killed! Piper is probably my least favorite canon character, but as to this story, I honestly didn't hate her so much. I feel like I did an okay job changing her backstory to fit in with the Hunger Games canon, and I feel like her character was realistic for her world and her experiences. I really wanted to keep her alive after the first few chapters of writing her. She and her backstory could really have been brought to life, and she could really have developed as a character. I thought about having Ethan kill her, but then, I really needed the Careers to prove that they were actually a dangerous group. I think that her death was as dignified as these deaths go, and I regret killing her, but I don't regret the writing of her. RIP.**

 **RACHEL: Rachel is the other non-Career rich-girl backstory in these Games, and I feel as though she pulled it off well. Again, I never really got to develop her, because…she died. But I think that her mortal background and her love of art really transferred well to this universe, and made her interesting to read about. I think that she could have blossomed. I think that she had the potential to be this year's crazy due to the Arena, but I couldn't stand to do that, I needed the Careers to prove that they were dangerous before I started killing them, and she wasn't the most essential to the plot at that point. I regret it. RIP.**

 **CALYPSO: I regret killing Calypso in the same way that I regret killing any character that I have grown to love. However…how can I say this…Calypso was not the most interesting character. A lot of that had to do with my own interpretation of her for this canon. She is a Titaness on an island and there is so much to work with there, but I went overboard with her Hunger Games backstory, and it ruined her as a character. She was built totally for backstory, if I'm being honest. It kept her as a strictly pre-Games character. I knew that Grover would be trying to protect her from the start, and I knew that she would be killed leading to Nancy taunting him and her death from the earliest writing stages. Wow. This was a terrible eulogy. RIP to an amazing PJO character who I will write a lot of stuff about in her own canon in the near future. RIP.**

 **OCTAVIAN: Octavian is one of the most underdeveloped villains, so I got to try and make him a better character in this story. Again, I don't think that I did the best job, but I hope that no one threw anything at the screen when he was on. He was interesting to write from, but he was always just…there. Again, he was overshadowed by the more dynamic characters and it was his time to go. RIP.**

 **LEO: WHY DID I DO THIS? I hated myself as I killed Leo off because he is always a character that has shone in this story, from the very beginning. I loved writing him. He could have made it much farther. Sadly, he wasn't Victor material, someone needed to die, and he happened to be there. RIP, Leo. I love you. Team Leo for the win.**

 **NANCY: Nancy was honestly the character I loved most in this story. We know nothing about her in canon, and I…just went wild with making her character and having her take the spotlight in quite a few scenes. I like to think that I made her that villain you love to hate…actually, that you just hate but grudgingly accept because they fill the role of villain so well. I don't regret killing her, but it was fun while it lasted. RIP.**

 **GROVER: I gave Grover a few serious reasons to come home, and in an earlier draft I actually put him as Victor. From the moment this story idea was conceived, I always had a vision of him being 'bullied' by Nancy in whatever ways that the Arena allowed. I loved working with his character, and I will say that I think he really was able to come into the spotlight during his moments. However, something about him just didn't click and it became his time to go. RIP, Grover.**


	24. Life is But a Dream

A cannon fired.

XXXXX

Will woke up from his sleep and found Nico awake, looking at him. He felt relief come over him at the fact that Nico wasn't dead.

Barely two corridors away, Katie woke up from a nightmare, marveling at the fact that she was still alive. That made 10, right? _Miranda…I'm coming._

XXXXX

It shocked Percy awake. He looked over at Annabeth. Put his hand in front of her face (her hand was cold but that didn't mean anything, not really!)

Nothing.

He put his other hand on her wrist. No pulse.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and for once, he didn't force them down. She was dead! She had a family. She had dreams and hopes and wishes, just like him, just like everyone else in the Arena! And he had _volunteered_ for this! Why? Why had he done it? How could he ever have believed that he could kill kids like the Career Tribute everyone thought that he was?

How could anyone do it? How had someone done this to Annabeth?

 _The boy from 8._

Annabeth had mentioned that he had stabbed her with a poison knife. He had killed her. _He killed Annabeth._

Percy forced those thoughts down. He had no jacket, but leaving Annabeth like this without first doing something seemed wrong. Her eyes were already closed, and Percy hoped that her last few hours had been filled with as little pain as possible. Percy arranged her with her arms folded over her chest, like they did in District 4 before setting the boats that bodies were in on fire and sending them out to sea.

A panel in the wall opened.

 _Not now,_ thought Percy. He didn't want anything from Delphin, not now, not when it would only serve to remind him that his District expected him to become a cold-blooded killer now that his hindrance of an ally was finally out of the way. He felt a sudden wave of hate. None of them understood how brilliant she was, how she should have been able to thrive in a world that appreciated her rather than languishing under the Capitol.

But what lay on the floor now was flowers. Percy felt some surprise, though even that seemed numb. 4 wouldn't send flowers to him, not when they were useless. Though, Percy didn't recognize the flowers. They had small spotted petals. Percy moved to pick them up. The stems were rough. Hardy. Strong plants. They were tied together with twine.

3.

They must have been flowers from 3. There were two male Victors from three, Jake Mason and Malcolm Adelbert. Annabeth was their last Tribute. (Percy reminded himself that he had been present, a bystander, in the deaths of both of their Tributes.) But now they were sending him gifts.

 _"Sponsor gifts are some of the most important things that you'll ever get in the Arena," Poseidon Jackson told his son. "You rely on your wits and on your strength. But you will have to rely on the goodwill of the outside world if you want to live. You get me?"_

 _Ten-year-old Percy nodded._

 _Poseidon ruffled his hair. "Good boy. Now, let's review. What have I taught you so far?"_

 _"Make the sponsors love you. Get a good training score. Be charming. Be nice to the Capitol. Don't let the other Careers know how much of a threat you are, just that you're worthy of joining them."_

 _"Good. And what else?"_

 _Percy felt a bit of unease. "Kill them all."_

Percy wondered what his father would say to him at getting this gift. Would he want him to throw it away, to reject an offer that wasn't needed? Or would he grudgingly allow his son the respect of the other district? Kill them all. Percy's father would have screamed at him, hated him, for how weak he was. Join the Careers. Hadn't that always been the first dictate? But Percy had run away and now his only reason for it was dead. He was really, truly on his own.

Percy tucked the flowers under Annabeth's hands. She could have been sleeping. "Rest in peace, Annabeth," he said. His throat felt like it was closing and his eyes stung like they did when he opened them underwater. "I'll miss you. We all will."

Percy took a deep breath. They would want to collect the body soon. He had to leave this place. But as he took steps away, he realized how terrifying things seemed without Annabeth. Now, the fear of death seemed to be closing in.

He didn't want to die.

Annabeth had seemed so brave, so bold as she went off to face the unknown! And then there was Percy. He felt himself a coward for his terror of what lay beyond this world. But it wasn't just basic fear of taking his last breaths. He wanted to see Tyson again. His mother. His stepfather Paul. His father.

 _I want to prove myself,_ Percy tried to tell himself.

No. That was a lie. The time for proving himself had come and gone when he refused to take up the mantle of killer. Proving himself was a front for the Capitol audiences.

Percy was so much more selfish then that. He wanted to _live._

He just wanted to go home!

XXXXX

How was he going to find Zoe?

Nico had one goal. Kill the girl who killed his sister.

But how was he supposed to achieve that? Hours of wandering with Will had made Nico realize just how large and confusing the Arena was. He had a nasty feeling that they were going in circles, too. There was no way to track her. The Arena was a maze, after all.

Nico would never admit it, but he was grateful to Will. The blonde boy walked with him, following him on whatever random turn Nico took, not asking any questions about where they were going but trying to talk to him every once in a while. Yes…the talking was annoying. Nico didn't like talking, as a rule. He could easily do things in silence and he didn't see what people needed voice to express themselves. Sadly, Will wasn't being annoying. It would almost be easier if he was. Nico honestly couldn't imagine being without the boy now.

They weren't friends, though. Beyond the rule of there being no friends in the Arena, Nico didn't have time for that. The only thing that was worrying was whether they were boring the audience. Nico wasn't exactly being responsive. Was interaction necessary to them being interesting?

Speak of the devil.

Or rather…dog mutts. Speak of the dog mutts sent by the Gamemakers who were probably bored despite the earlier cannon.

"Alright, then," said Will.

"Could you not joke about this?" Nico asked.

"Just trying to lighten the mood."

"Why does the mood need to be lightened? When we could die, I tend to worry about that."

"Do you want to worry? Because I could give you something to worry about."

"Are you threatening me?"

The minute he said it, Nico knew he shouldn't have. He didn't want to know the answer. He didn't want Will to think that he was going to betray him.

Gah! He was an idiot.

"Let's just kill these things, please," Nico growled.

"You can take your sword and kill stuff, I guess. I'll stay out of the way."

"Do you really not have a weapon yet?"

"Healing is my thing, okay?"

"Sounds like some lazy excuse-making to me."

The dog mutts circled them. Nico avoided looking at their sharp, slavering teeth or the way that their ears were pricked up. Or their claws like razors. Instead, he charged.

Because he was _done_ with all of this. He had one job! He didn't have time for any of this! Revenge was the only thing that he was here for. He didn't even care about winning anymore.

The head of the first dog came off and Nico realized that he didn't care anymore. He didn't want to win. He just wanted Zoe. Zoe. To scream at her and remind her of all that she had done. To kill her. To watch her life flow out of her like it had in Bianca.

One of the other dogs sprung at him. Nico batted it down, but the other stalked him on the other side. The final three dogs started coming at him. Where was Will, dammit?

Nico had to drop his sword and cover his ears as an awful noise came through the hall. It was shrill, high-pitched, and squeaky. It seemed to reverberate throughout the corridor, the bluish stone walls seeming to vibrate and make the noise echo.

"What the fuck?!" Nico demanded.

"That was me," said Will.

The dogs were on the ground. Nico took the chance to stab all of them, and started cleaning the blade of his sword, the noise still in his ears. "Dammit, Will! Fuck you! At least, I don't know, _warn me_ next time!"

The asshole looked like he was trying not to smile. Nico glared at him. He didn't flinch.

"Sorry. You looked kind of like you were going to die. So I tried to help you. I won't next time, though."

Nico scoffed. "Let's keep going."

"No. This is ridiculous."

Chills ran up and down Nico's spine. Was this where it ended, then? Nico almost wanted to back down. Almost.

"Where are we going, Nico?"

Nico gritted his teeth. Will continued. "I'm not moving anymore until you tell me what's going on. I'm not going to judge you, Nico. But you need to tell me."

"Fine!" Nico burst out. "We're finding Zoe. Are you happy?"

The look of surprise on Will's face was almost offensive. "Your district partner? Why? Are we allying with her?"

"Don't. Even. Imply. That," Nico hissed. "We are not allies."

Understanding suddenly came over Will. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"Are you…going to kill her?"

Nico glared at him. He knew that Will was silently judging him, calling him a murderer, a Career, a traitor. "That's the plan."

"Why?"

Nico glared even harder. "I don't have to answer that."

"What did she do to you, Nico? What could possibly make you want to hunt her down and kill her? That's not normal!"

"Shut up, Will!" The words tore from Nico's throat. "It was my sister, okay?"

He started to cry.

Will watched him, and hugged the younger boy. "It's going to be okay, Nico."

Nico didn't respond. Will felt the need to help Nico somehow. He didn't know in what way he could affect Nico's vendetta, but he had to try. There was something disturbing that Will could see. He was almost afraid of it.

"It's going to be okay, Nico," Will promised again. "But you can't do this. You have to let this go. A grudge is the most dangerous thing that you can have."

Nico swallowed hard. "I can't."

XXXXX

"Are you sure you're up for hunting?" Clarisse asked her ally. Not that she cared. But if Princess dropped dead right now then she wouldn't be near as powerful than if she was part of an alliance.

"Yes," Princess insisted.

"You sure?"

"I got medicine, remember?"

Clarisse tried to figure out if there was a hint of condescension in Reyna's voice, if the girl was calling her stupid. She hated it when people called her stupid. Maybe she wasn't Victor Malcolm or anything, but she wasn't an idiot!

"Yeah, I remember."

Reyna sighed. "Besides, hunting is more important."

The cannon earlier had set Princess on edge. It was like she was afraid that someone else would do their work for them. Sure, maybe they wouldn't be the big bad Careers like Sherman or Delphin had been, but it was one step closer to winning, right?

"Whatever you say, Princess."

"Don't call me that."

Clarisse didn't dignify her with a response.

"Do you think we'll find anyone?"

"Why wouldn't we? We made it back to the Cornucopia, didn't we?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"There's still 8 other people in with us. We'll come across one of them, I'm sure of it."

"Hope it's the right one."

"What do you mean by the right one?"

Clarisse shifted uncomfortably. "Well…one that we can take down."

"We should logically be able to kill any of them."

"Not without getting hurt."

"Fair enough."

Clarisse and Reyna were silent for another few minutes. Finally, Clarisse brought up the topic that she knew they were both thinking about. Sherman might have yelled at her, but better now than being killed in the night, right? "When do we break?"

"Not yet."

"Not an answer, Princess."

"Not until the other threats are dead."

"Isn't that almost everyone?"

"Is there a particular reason that you want to break, Clarisse?"

Clarisse shook her head. Silence.

Finally, Clarisse broke it. "Does this mean that you've accepted that your name is Princess?"

XXXXX

There was a noise! Ethan tensed. There was something there. It would kill him! Was it the girl from 3, still not dead yet? Was it a mutt? Was the Capitol tired of him? He should have known. Well, he would show them. They would never silence him!

A face came around the corner of the wooden hall. Boy from 4. Strong. Ethan had to run. He had to escape and live another day. The boy would kill him!

"It's you." Barely a whisper from 4, who looked almost dead himself. Was he dead? Was that even possible? Ethan turned, but the walls down the hall were moving together. Were the Gamemakers trying to kill him? Would all the walls close? Collapse?

Ethan drew his knife, fingering his eyepatch as if it would give him good luck. "Wanna fight, Career?"

"I'm not a Career."

"You volunteered, didn't you?"

4 didn't reply. His movement was slow, sluggish, and Ethan almost felt confident. But there was a certain strength, too. You didn't grow up on the streets and have the ability to ignore the confidence in someone's gait, the muscle in their arms, the callouses on their hands. Ethan felt afraid. Very afraid. He didn't know if he could win.

"You killed her," 4 finally said. His eyes were so green. Like a mutts. Was he a mutt? How was Ethan supposed to know who was real and who wasn't?

Ethan didn't know who 4 was talking about. Instead, he charged.

4 dodged easily and thrusted forward towards Ethan's stomach. Ethan parried with his knife, going on the defensive. The shadows around him were coming to life. They were going to kill him. Everything was.

4's sword thrusted again and slipped past Ethan's fragile defenses into his belly. Pain erupted. Losing his eye had hurt worse, but still. There was no…no return, was there?

As Ethan closed his eyes, the shadows stilled themselves. The darkness was almost comforting. Dying seemed easier than slipping into a dream.

Percy shuddered as the cannon fired and as Ethan dropped to the floor. He had avenged Annabeth. Hadn't he?

 _"Kill them all," his father said._

 _"I will," Percy promised. "I'll be a Victor."_

One kill seemed too many. _I'm sorry, Annabeth._

 _I'm sorry, Dad._

Percy turned, leaving the body behind him, feeling like crying but knowing that he couldn't. Only to come face to face with the two worst possible people.

 **Tributes:**

 **D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D4: Percy Jackson; Clarisse La Rue  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **ANNABETH: As always, I had so many doubts about killing her. She never had any powers, so in a way she was the easiest to switch to this scenario. She could have gone far, especially in an Arena so intellectually designed. Sadly, as further drafts of the story emerged, it became clear that she wasn't the Victor we were looking for. In addition, we kind of needed her to die for the plot to move itself along. I hope that the Percabeth wasn't too forced and that you all forgive us for killing her. RIP, Annabeth. We'll miss you.**

 **ETHAN: I wasn't sure about killing Ethan this chapter, but someone mentioned that things could be moving faster, so…yeah. It's probably obvious that Ethan was never going to win this. He played his role as an antagonist well, up there with Nancy and Octavian, though he didn't have the extra kick of being a Career as much as unadulterated desperation and bitterness. In any case, he lasted longer than either of them. It was fun to play with his paranoia until he was completely insane and I really wish that I had been able to develop his backstory and character more, but…that's just how the Game works. Ethan was interesting to write from and I hope that he was enjoyed as a character. RIP.**


	25. Loyalty and Guilt

Someone was following her.

Zoe quickened her pace, though she was not sure of where she was going. She had new determination, yes. Two cannons had fired in the space between the last Anthem and now, and Zoe was not keen to face the unknown so quickly. Still, Zoe knew that she could not let her common sense be overshadowed by the simple need for survival. That would make her illogical, easy to kill. She had to have a goal.

Didn't she have one? Get home?

Why had she done this in the first place?

 _Zoe was fifteen when she killed for the first time._

 _She had long been accustomed to wandering the streets. The matron at the orphanage knew her and didn't object when she dropped in for food every month or so. Still, Zoe spent most of her time on patrol._

 _Tonight, it was men in the alley roughing up a woman who couldn't have been older than Zoe herself. Zoe didn't bother to wonder what the woman had done. Men had no logic, no ability to think beyond themselves and see who they were hurting. The woman was not at fault here._

 _Zoe carefully raised her bow and shot one of the men in the throat. A quick death. Clean. But the others looked up and saw her on the rooftop. In her more frivolous, childish moments, Zoe imagined how she must have looked and liked to imagine herself as a hero, silhouette dark in the moonlight. The men ran away. Zoe dropped down to the woman._

 _"Your name?"_

 _"B-Britomartis."_

 _Zoe nodded, internally cringing at the ridiculous names that the Merchants gave their children, finally letting herself wonder at Britomartis's story._

 _"I can help you."_

 _"Who says that I need help?" Britomartis's eyes were afraid. "Y-You just killed a guy. I could turn you in."_

 _"But you won't."_

 _"W-Who says?"_

 _"I say. You understand the sanctity of the bond between women."_

 _Britomartis didn't speak._

 _"I'm starting a group," Zoe said, feeling vulnerable. "A gang of sorts. We'll keep people safe from this sort of thing."_

 _Britomartis slowly nodded._

Zoe missed her group. It had felt like having a family, almost, though Zoe could barely remember what a family truly was. Hers certainly hadn't been the best example. But Britomartis (thrown out by her family after having an affair with a Seam boy), Sipriotes (ran away from an abusive family), Nymph (an orphan), and so many other had become close-knit. Friends. Family.

Bianca, too.

Zoe forced that though from her mind. She knew that Nico probably had volunteered because of that and did not want to face that reality until she absolutely had to. Zoe considered herself above guilt. Everything that she did was calculated and always for some kind of good reason. But Bianca…Zoe had slipped up there. Gone too far, perhaps. Bianca, she regretted.

XXXXX

Jackson had a lot of nerve.

Constantly showing people up during training. Leaving a trail of sarcasm and broken bones in his wake. Leaving the Careers with a district rat.

Clarisse didn't like it. By all rights, she should hate the punk. She had every reason. Everyone back home would understand. Still, she didn't want to kill her district partner. There wasn't any affection between them, _duh._ But she didn't necessarily want him dead, either.

Maybe because he deserved better than this, better than being killed on the sixth day by the people who should've been his allies. He had trained for years.

Then again, so had she. And she hadn't been trained for weakness.

Reyna's stomach wasn't hurting too badly anymore. She had immediately assessed the corridor. There was a body behind Percy. An eyepatch on the ground told her that it was Ethan Nakamura. That left one cannon unaccounted for, but then again, hadn't Percy had an ally? Annabeth Chase, District 3. It could have been hers.

Either way, Ethan was a threat. So was Percy. It would make Reyna's job easier if they could kill Percy now. They could do it, as long as Clarisse stayed strong. District 4 was stronger than Reyna had anticipated, and Reyna almost trusted her (but she wasn't stupid enough to actually do so). But if Clarisse hesitated, or if Reyna's stomach hurt too much…

Percy's voice was brittle. Percy didn't have the energy to wince at it or worry about coming off as strong. Annabeth was dead, and he had just killed somebody. "Well, then."

"Jackson." Clarisse's voice was rough, and Clarisse hoped that it was unforgiving. She had to be strong. She was what District 4 was placing their hopes on now.

(Not if Percy rejoined them, but that was stupid—)

"Get your sword," Reyna said.

Clarisse was almost grateful. She didn't want to have to kill Jackson in an unfair battle. Something about that just didn't seem right.

Percy held up his sword. "You're going to kill me, then?"

"These are the Hunger Games. If you weren't prepared to understand that, then you shouldn't have volunteered."

"If you really believe that, then you're the idiot here."

Clarisse wanted to yell at Jackson for insulting Princess. She wanted to defend Jackson, defend 4. But she didn't do anything. She couldn't. It was like she was glued to the ground. Clarisse wanted to close her eyes and take a minute to regroup herself.

She couldn't though, these were the Games and she couldn't leave herself open, vulnerable, because she was _not stupid_ despite what everyone thought—

"Whatever makes this easy for you, District 4."

Clarisse didn't like the way that Reyna called Jackson District 4. You only referred to non-Careers by their District number—oh.

Princess's stance was a bit off, though. Clarisse knew her stomach must still have been hurting her. Clarisse drew her spear, ready to back up Reyna. Part of her wanted to take out Reyna now and then move on to Jackson—kill him or leave him, whichever was easier—

"Is killing kids easy for you, Reyna?"

Clarisse resented that, though. Sure, she had killed District 3 last time she and Percy had been in the same room. But he was just a district rat. He hadn't trained. He didn't understand how important the Games were.

 _Chris. Sherman. Dad. Mom._

Clarisse let herself remember all the people watching her at home. She couldn't prove herself to be weak. She couldn't let herself die. Dad had always said that Sherman, his _son,_ should have been the one to go into the Games. Well, she was here now. She was in the final 9. Soon to be final 8.

"I am not killing kids, as you so effectively put it, Percy Jackson. I'm simply doing my duty."

"Well," Percy said, and his voice cracked and there was something in it that Clarisse couldn't put her finger on, "then you're insane."

"I think that you're the crazy one if you thought you should run away from our alliance. You could have made it far."

Clarisse wanted to say something. _Join us,_ she wanted to tell Jackson. _I don't want to kill you._ At the same time, she wanted to tell Reyna to kill him. _He's a traitor. He doesn't deserve your mercy. Let me kill him instead._

Her voice didn't seem to be working.

"You'll have to make the first move," Jackson told Reyna.

"If you wish," Reyna replied.

"I want Clarisse to say that she's okay with killing me first," Jackson said.

Clarisse reddened. She hated being called out by anyone. She hated Percy Jackson, that much she was sure of. But she didn't want her district partner to die yet.

She just didn't want to have to kill him…

Reyna made the choice for her.

She made the first swing with her knife, getting too close to Jackson for Clarisse's comfort. She didn't want Reyna to die, either. She'd choose Reyna over her district partner in a heartbeat. And that was really the choice to be made, wasn't it? One or the other.

 _Kill them both,_ a voice in the back of her mind told her. _They're the threats. You could end them both here and call it revenge. No one would blame you._

And yet Clarisse still stood still, a spectator to the most important fight in her life.

 _"You don't have to do this," Chris told her. "You shouldn't volunteer. We can be happy."_

 _"I can't," Clarisse said gruffly._

 _"Is this about your father again? I swear, I will kill him if you want me to."_

 _"You're an idiot, then."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"He'll kill you first."_

 _"It'll be worth it if it gets you away from there."_

 _Clarisse looked away from him, almost wanting to cry, even though she was stronger than anyone else in District 4 (of course she was, she had to be). Didn't he understand? She had to win the Games. There wasn't any other way that people would respect her._

Percy blocked, but instead of stabbing at Reyna, he went back into a defensive position, almost like he was refusing to go onto the offensive. Why? Did he think that he could force the mantle of antagonist on to Clarisse or Reyna? Reyna seemed to notice this too. "Do you want to die, Percy?"

This seemed to strike a chord in the punk, and Clarisse remembered that he had a brother too. But while Clarisse tolerated 20-year-old Sherman, Percy seemed to dote on his little brother. Finally, he struck a blow at Reyna. Reyna caught the thrust on the handle of her knife in a move that even Clarisse was impressed—and a little scared—by. She flicked downwards, forcing Percy's blade down, and stabbing Percy in the undefended space in his shoulder.

Percy screamed, but didn't let him slow it down. The dance was increasing in speed. Thrust. Parry. Sparks flying as gold and bronze met again and again. Clarisse felt frozen to the spot, but Reyna wasn't addressing her. Clarisse's spear wavered towards the ground, and she hated herself.

 _"Again."_

 _Clarisse threw her spear as hard as she could, skewering a training dummy, the spear fixing itself in the wall behind it._

 _Her father looked at her appraisingly. "Nice shot."_

 _"Thank you, Father."_

 _"I was being sarcastic."_

 _Clarisse's breath caught in her throat._

 _"You thought that was impressive? Maybe for a girl. But it's not good enough. Sherman could send a spear through a dummy and have it go near halfway into the wall without leaving much of a whole that you could see, just near cutting its heart out completely. I want better from you, kid. I know you can do better. Right?"_

 _"Yes, Father."_

 _"Come now, Ares!" a new voice joined them. Clarisse winced as she saw Poseidon Jackson and his son Percy standing by the door. "You have to admit that was a good shot. Good enough for the Games, that's for sure?"_

 _"You're a fool, Poseidon."_

 _Poseidon laughed. "Better men than you have called me that, so I suppose you could be right. Come on, Percy. I'll show you the climbing wall."_

 _"See you, Clarisse. Good hit," Percy said._

 _Ares laughed. "He's a year younger than you, so you shouldn't be going into the same Games. But try and maim him, at least, sometime soon. Poseidon should get off his high horse for once."_

But Reyna's stomach was hurt and it was obvious that something was still horribly off with her, and with a cry, Percy was able to shove her to the ground. He raised his sword and lowered it.

But to Clarisse, it was barely in slow motion. She threw her spear (not good enough never good enough) but the force of it smacked Percy's sword out of his hands, clattering both weapons against the wall. Clarisse was running at him, drawing her sword ( _A real Career always has enough weapons)_ and shoved him to the ground with the flat of her blade, ready to bring it down.

But not fast enough.

Because she wasn't ready to kill her own district partner. Not when she had shared quarters for him for a week and known him for years and when he really wasn't that bad. (She could kill whoever else she wanted even Reyna, Clarisse _knew_ she could! Right?! But not Jackson because district pride, yeah, that was the reason.)

And Percy had another weapon. Knife. _Not bad, punk,_ Clarisse thought as it made its way towards her throat.

But Clarisse ducked and then Reyna was there with her own knife and there was a bright red line in Jackson's throat.

No cannons yet but there was no way that he was recovering and Clarisse was _grateful_ to Reyna in a way that she didn't want to understand and then she was (stupid, stupid,) as she knelt by his side and took his hand.

"Tyson didn't have to watch you be a killer," she told him.

"F-F-Fuck you," Jackson said weakly.

"I know."

 _I'm sorry._

XXXXX

A cannon fired.

Katie froze where she was, suddenly afraid that the cannon was a footstep or something. She couldn't afford to trip up, not when a misstep meant death.

But there was nothing, and Katie allowed herself to relax a little. She wasn't thirsty. She was hungry, but she had been hungrier before and wasn't going to whine. Eventually, the Anthem came on.

The first face was Annabeth. Katie felt regret at seeing her onetime ally in the sky. Could she have changed the course of events at all? Next was Percy. Career, yes, but nice enough. Another threat gone. The final face was Ethan. Katie felt a sick feeling of satisfaction. The boy had stabbed Annabeth with a poison knife and might have been responsible for her death.

Katie bowed her head, trying to find some grief for the three dead of the day.

She couldn't.

She just had to get home.

 **Tributes:**

 **D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D4: Clarisse La Rue  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **PERCY: I hate myself for killing him. I really do. I feel like I wasn't able to truly express how amazing of a character Percy is with this story. Still, I think that he got a few moments where he really shone. He was always the 'nice' Career of this story, and was a fresh breath of air in an Arena where so many of the tributes are bitter and jaded. He didn't deserve the end that he got. Still, as we reach the Final 8, I feel that it's time for the more minor characters to take the stage.**


	26. The Interviews

"You should go home."

Victor Tristan Mclean looked up at his fellow district Victor, Drew Tanaka. Drew noted the dark circles under his eyes, the redness in them, the grief and new wrinkles that were on his face. He seemed to have aged five years in the last five days. The Capitol wouldn't like it. Drew didn't either.

"To what?" Tristan's voice was brittle. Drew almost wished that it was angry.

Drew shrugged. "I wouldn't know, hon. Maybe you can do it with another model. Wouldn't be the first time."

And now rage flickered over his face. It was a common rumor that Tristan had gotten a Capitol model pregnant, resulting in, well, Piper. It had never been confirmed, of course, but Drew had no doubts that Tristan didn't want to hear a single word against his beloved daughter.

"Chin up, Tristan. She died in the best way possible."

"Fuck you."

Drew smirked. "Gladly."

"She was my daughter! She was my everything!"

"She was all you had left," Drew said in a bored voice. "Don't mistake the two."

"You…you…" Drew was almost surprised that he didn't attack her.

"Don't get me wrong, she was a great girl. Pretty and all. Darling. Loyal. But 23 out of 24 kids die every year. She wasn't even your Tribute."

If looks could kill, Drew would be dead, but they couldn't. Instead, Drew let Tristan's gaze burn holes in her skull as she turned to watch the interviews. District 2 was on first, and watch as the interviews started.

Chiron, the famous Final 8 interviewer, was in District 2. He was talking to the 2 girl's older sister. Drew felt hate go through her at the sight of the Career trainer. The Careers cut down their tributes every year, more often then not, and Drew was sick of it. "Reyna's always been strong," Hylla was saying. "Determined, you know? I taught her things—not for the Games, of course, just to keep her safe here at home—and she picked them up quickly. She's talented. I have no doubt that she could be the next Victor."

"If you could say one thing to her right now, what would it be?"

"Stay strong. Stay smart. Stay tough. This is where things start for real." Hylla seemed hesitant, but continued. "I love you."

"Anything to say about your father, the famous Julian Ramirez?"

"No."

The screen flicked forward to District 4, leaving Drew wondering if Reyna really had no other friends or family. "I'm here with Ares La Rue, Clarisse's father," Chiron said. "What do you have to say about your daughter?"

Ares smirked. "She's never been the best at anything, but I have to admit that she's been doing a pretty bang-up job."

"Any clues to how Clarisse got her amazing score of 10?"

"She's worked on the fishing boats all her life. Worked up some skills with a spear. I guess she just must have been a fast learner with the spear." _Liar,_ Drew thought.

"Any response to the allegations that Clarisse was constantly bruised up at school?"

"Nothing to do with me, if that's what you're suggesting." Ares took off his sunglasses and snapped them shut. "Look, she's always been a rough-and-tumble kid. An embarrassment sometimes. But nothing to do with me."

The camera switched to a young man. "You are her brother, correct?"

"Yeah. Sherman La Rue."

"Any advice to your sister?"

"Don't get stabbed in the back by that Reyna kid. You're strong enough to do it alone from her on out. Just go for it."

"You think that your sister is the strongest in there?"

"Of course? Haven't you seen her?"

"Despite Zoe Nightshade scoring higher?"

Sherman glared at the camera. "A fluke, okay?"

The camera switched to a woman, possibly Clarisse's mother. "Any thoughts on how Clarisse was hesitant to kill Percy Jackson?"

"I'm glad she didn't. They were district partners, after all."

"You would have done the same thing in her position?"

You could almost see how instantly the woman became icy. "I trust my daughter's judgment."

Quickly, the camera flipped to another young man. "You would be Christopher Rodriguez, Clarisse's boyfriend?" Chiron asked.

"That's right."

"Anything to say on her choice to volunteer?"

"I wish that she hadn't." Chiron was silent as Chrisopher swallowed, hard, and went on. "I really love her, you know? I would have loved it if she could stay where she's safe. I think we would've had a great life. But she was always determined to…try…and, well…you can't deny that she's been doing a great job."

The image faded to black, and 'District 9' flashed across the screen. A middle-aged couple was standing there. "How do you feel about your son's chances?" Chiron asked.

"To be honest, we weren't expecting him to make it this far," said Will's father.

Will's mother lightly slapped his arm. "Apollo!" she looked at the camera. "We've done nothing but hope for Will's safety ever since he's been Reaped. And, well…he's made it this far."

"Do you trust Will's ally, Nico?"

"He's done a good job at keeping Will safe so far," said Will's mother.

"Crazy, though," said Apollo.

The camera switched to another blonde boy that was a dead ringer for Will, and a young girl. "How did you feel about your brother being Reaped?" Chiron asked.

"It was awful!" said Kayla. "I wanted to cry. I was so afraid that he would die and then Lou-Lou died so soon but he's still alive, and I just want my brother back!" Kayla's adorableness almost made Drew sick. Tristan was crying in the background, and Drew glared back at him.

"It was…the worst experience of my life," Austin said.

"You could have volunteered, correct?"

"That's right," Austin mumbled.

"So why didn't you?"

Austin gave a hopeless, helpless shrug. "I ask myself that every day. I know that I should have. And I would give anything— _anything—_ for my brother to make it home so I can apologize to him and tell him that I love him. Anything."

It was a tear-jerking performance to anyone but Drew, who liked to think herself able to withstand stupid sentimentality. The camera flipped to another two people. "You would be…"

"Naomi," the older girl said.

"Cecil," said the boy.

"Cecil, Will mentioned you as being his friend."

"That's right." The dark-haired boy grinned. "Me, Lou, and him called ourselves the Three Musketeers. That's a reference to…yeah."

"And how to you feel about Lou Ellen's death?"

Naomi sniffed. Cecil closed his eyes for a moment. "It's been…hard. I could never have imagined my friend dying, not like that. But…now's for Will. We're all rooting for him." _Nice save,_ thought Drew.

"Even you, Naomi? Lou Ellen's sister?"

"Even me," Naomi said. "We all just want Will to come home. We all love him. Everyone in the District."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone."

There was another fade-to-black, and District 10 was scrawled across the screen in an aesthetically pleasing handwriting. A woman stood with Chiron, looking…vacant. "You are Hazel's mother, correct?"

"That would be right."

"What can you tell us about her?"

"She's a wonderful girl…" and then the woman was sobbing. Drew almost felt embarrassed for her. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Hazel! I know I was a horrible mother. But I just want you to come home! Everything will be different. No more morphling. No more Terra. Just you and me. Come home, please!" It ended in a shriek.

Chiron grinned. "Wow! A great show of emotion. Next, we have Frank's grandmother."

The next woman looked imposing and stately, and at least like she wouldn't start sobbing. "Fa-Frank is my grandson, yes."

"What happened to his parents?"

"His father was a bastard who ran off, not taking any responsibility for the boy. I wish hell upon his head. His mother, Emily, was my daughter. She died in the Hunger Games as well."

"An early pregnancy, then. Any feelings of bitterness towards Frank? Shame?"

"Why would I feel bitter? It was not the idiot's fault that he was born. Shame, yes! But not for the reasons that you think. My grandson can be an idiot boy sometimes, truly an idiot. But he has proven himself to be strong and wise in the Hunger Games. I a proud of him."

"So you're waiting for him to come home, then."

Frank's grandmother shook her head. "Of course not! I assume that you are not as unobservant as you seem, young man. Frank and his district partner seem to be in an unlikely romance. I saw that coming from miles away, and Hazel is a wonderful girl. Too good for my grandson, but for some reason she likes him. I do not want him to have to come home without her. It may seem as though their romance has only existed for a day or two, but those two are halves of the same whole. I would not deign to wish separation on the two of them."

"A love story for the ages."

"I suppose that if you must call it that, I will allow it."

The camera switched to District 11, where Katie's sister was looking nervous. "Katie volunteered for you."

"I think that everyone knows that." Miranda clamped her mouth shut. "Sorry. Yes, yes she did."

"What are your feelings towards that?"

"I feel guilt, I guess." Miranda laughed. "She made me promise not to feel guilty, but I still feel like it should have been me. I don't want her to die. Still, she's been doing a great job, huh?"

"Yes. Of course. Your parents passed away?"

"When I was young. Katie raised me."

"Have you been doing well on your own?"

"As well as can be. This district respects Katie. She's one of ours, that's for sure. They've been wonderfully helpful."

"Do you think that your sister can make it home?"

"Yes." Miranda looked directly into the camera. "I really think that she can do this. She's strong. Smart. With enough luck, she can live and we'll throw the best part that this district has ever seen."

"You think so?"

"You can count on it."

"Luck doesn't have anything to do with it," Drew chortled as the camera switched to District 12.

"I'm here with Matron Diana here at the District 12 orphanage, where both Zoe and Nico lived for a few years. Diana, tell me about Zoe."

"Zoe…Zoe Nightshade. Tough kid. Tried her luck on the streets and did a pretty good job, as I understand. She was never the friendliest, but always respectful. Kind to the little girls."

"Can you tell us about the rash of volunteers that have been coming from your district?"

"What about it?"

"For the last four years, District 12 has had a female volunteer. Going backwards, I believe that would be…Nymph Corrin, Britomartis Avayella, Celyn Merrite, and Bianca di Angelo. All of whom came from the orphanage. None of them made it past the first day, of course, but Zoe made it to the final eight. What can you tell us?"

Diana looked uncomfortable. "Well, I wouldn't know anything about that. Zoe's come a long way, though. And with that 11? I think she can come home. We'll be proud of her. We already are."

 _Liar,_ Drew thought.

"And Nico?"

"His sister died four years ago, of course. He was ten. Real torn up about it, real torn up. He got angry. Didn't really talk to anyone. Never violent, though. He was always polite to everyone, just didn't see to particularly care for the world."

"Why do you think that he volunteered?"

Diana shrugged.

The screen faded to black, but Chiron started a voiceover. And your Final 8! Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano! Clarisse La Rue! Will Solace! Hazel Levesque! Frank Zhang! Katie Gardner! Zoe Nightshade! And Nico di Angelo!"

The program ended.

"Piper should have been up there," Tristan said.

"Yeah." _And Beroe. And Tyche. Lacy. Anteros. Adrestia. Harmonia._

Together, the two losing mentors stood quietly, letting the ghosts of all the Tributes that they had failed fill up the silence between them.

 **Tributes:**

 **D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D4: Clarisse La Rue  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **And now you can start voting for whoever you want to win. Feedback, please?**


	27. Division

"Final Eight," Clarisse said to Reyna.

"That would be right," Reyna said, wiping some sweat off of her eyebrow. The two girls stared at each other. _Well?_ Reyna though. _Say it if you want to. But I won't be the one to break this alliance._

But Clarisse simply frowned at her. "Okay, then."

Reyna didn't answer, staring at Clarisse, trying to intimidate the girl with her eyes. She didn't want to fight Clarisse here and now. Still, this was the Final 8. There was no room for weakness, no room for allies. She couldn't trust Clarisse in the same way ever again.

"I can see what you're thinking," Clarisse accused. Did Princess think that she was stupid? She wasn't! Final 8 was different. And Princess didn't believe in Clarisse's honor anymore. "Well?"

"What do you want me to say, District Four?"

Clarisse laughed bitterly. "That's how it is, huh?"

Clarisse thought that she caught a hint of weakness in Reyna's eyes. Hurt. Weakness. The same thing, really. The only think that would help her now was the anger that would see her through the fights. Clarisse knew that much. "Clarisse, no—"

"Don't lie to me, _District 2,"_ Clarisse said. "I thought we were allies."

"We are."

"You don't want us to be."

"Clarisse—"

"No, I get it," Clarisse said. She let herself snort. "Final Eight. Final fucking Eight."

"Clarisse—"

"If I leave now, can I trust you not to stab me in the back?" Clarisse said mockingly.

"Don't do this."

"Well? You killed my District partner. You ready to do me in?"

Reyna looked down and then up quickly, and Clarisse thought that her eyes were softer, suddenly. "No," Reyna said, letting herself pour a rare bit of emotion into her voice. She didn't want Clarisse to leave the alliance. She didn't want the Careers to be over so soon, not when they had barely had a chance to form these Games. "I want you to stay. I want us to be the finalists."

"So you can kill me?"

"That's the game, isn't it?"

The two girls regarded each other for a moment.

"Final two, then," Clarisse finally promised. "Final two."

Reyna couldn't think of something to say. Clarisse smiled, and turned. "I'll see you then," she said.

Reyna watched her go.

XXXXX

 _Katie._

Katie looked down the dark hallway. There was plant grown emanating from it. The idea made her want to dance. Finally, an environment where she could feel at home! Ideas came to her…traps. Luring her enemies in, ensnaring them, and…

 _What, killing?_

No. Getting herself closer to home.

Still, that didn't change the fact that something down there had just said her name. Katie's heart raced. _What do I do? What do I do?_

Her instincts urged her to turn back. Still, Katie felt that she could replenish her food, water, and weapons supplies down that corridor.

Then the first thing emerged.

Katie shrieked and stumbled back. She couldn't even afford to worry about any other Tributes hearing her because _holy shit that's a ghost._

It was Connor.

At least, it looked kind of like Connor. It had his build and features. It was just…there was a knife wound in his stomach. Bloody. Festering. Katie retched, glad that she didn't full-out throw up.

And his face.

His face.

It was green, pale. Decomposing, kind of. Katie briefly thought of Travis in District 11, having to see his brother like this. And then Katie did throw up. She jerked her head back up right after, feeling so vulnerable and weak without a weapon. Was he what had called her name?

 _Katie._

A second ghost joined him. Annabeth. She in better shape, simply because her body looked normal— _is that the actual body holy shit holy shit!_ Her arm was completely green, and something was crawling on it. Her eyes were too wide, as if she had been trapped in a state of permanent surprise.

Katie tried to speak, but she couldn't get her mouth to move.

 _Katie. Katie. Katie. Katie._

More ghosts joined them. Calypso, the girl from 7 was there, a terrified expression frozen on her face. _Why?_ Katie wondered. Then there were her parents. How did the Capitol know what they looked like? _Katie. Katie. Katie._

The ghosts started to whirl around her in a frenzied dance of death. Katie's mind raced. _Get out get out get out I have to get out—_

But she couldn't, she couldn't because she was weaponless and so, so weak—

 _Katie. Katie. Katie. Katie._

"Miranda!" Katie choked out.

The ghosts slowed down, almost imperceptibly. But Katie saw her chance. She cast herself at the hole between the two of them, rolling for all she was worth, pushing herself up, running—

 _Katie. Katie. Katie._

"Shut up!" she hollered, breathless. "Leave me alone!"

She rounded a bend and the voices stopped.

Katie didn't stop running for a long time. Too terrified.

XXXXX

Hazel wanted to kiss Frank again. _Shut up,_ she told herself. _The whole world's watching._

"You okay?" Frank asked her.

"Yeah," Hazel said, a little too quickly. "You?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking…we made it farther than anyone thought we would."

"Final Eight. They interviewed our families."

A beat, and then Frank laughed. "Wow! I didn't even think about that. What do you think Grandmother said?"

"I was thinking more about my mother."

"Oh." Frank squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"I'm sure that she said something good."

"She was probably all drugged up."

"No. She loves you, Hazel."

"She has a funny way of showing it."

Frank kissed her. Hazel found herself kissing back. After a few moments, they pulled apart, breathless. "I love you. And that's how I show it."

Blood rushed to Hazel's face, but she loved it, she loved it. "I l-love you too, Frank," she stumbled out. "But…these are the Hunger Games."

"They've always been the Hunger Games. We've just been too stupid to face it."

"One of us is going to die."

 _It's going to be me,_ Hazel promised herself. _You're going home, Frank. I promise._

 _You're going home, Hazel,_ Frank thought. _I swear._

XXXXX

"This is in no way crazy," Will said.

"Shut your snarky mouth," Nico ordered.

"No, thank you," Will said. For some reason, he forgot to feel afraid of Nico's response for a few moments. No! He needed to stay on edge. There were only 8 left in the Arena. From now on, everyone was an enemy. If they came across anyone else, there would be no letting them walk. A fight was inevitable.

And yet, somehow, _I_ had become _we._ Will couldn't imagine fighting Nico. It had only been seven days, right?

 _I need to get my priorities straight._

Will eyed his partner.

 _Priorities._

 _Yeah._

Nico was aware of Will watching him and wondered when their alliance would splinter. With the arrival of the Final 8, things had become that much more complicated. Now there was just the hardscrabble scramble for survival. No friends.

 _Friends?!_

No. They were not friends. Just allies.

Just allies.

 _Fuck…_ Nico thought. _Zoe. I need to find Zoe._

 _Then it'll all be over. Finally._

XXXXX

 _Britomartis. Celyn. Nymph. Bianca. Sipriotes. Tarren. Callie. Didi._

Zoe repeated the names, over and over, trying to find something that she could hold on to. Something to motivate her to get home. The members of her gang that were still alive…they were worth fighting for. Sipriotes planned on volunteering next year, of course, and Callie after her. They would save lives of the unprepared and still-loved in District 12.

But all that Zoe seemed able to remember were the dead.

Britomartis. Celyn. Bianca. Nymph. All of them had volunteered because they had planned it out together. They had made a pact. All of them would not have died in the Games if Zoe had not brought them together.

 _They might still be dead,_ Zoe reminded herself. _District 12 is not an easy place to survive._

Still, that was all a maybe. Who was to say that they did not have people who loved them? Britomartis's boyfriend might have still cared about her. So had Celyn's estranged father. But all of those were simply men, the ones that only wanted to drag them down and break them. Zoe had shown them the true path.

 _Bianca di Angelo had a brother,_ Zoe remembered _. Nico._

Nico was out there somewhere.

Zoe had to find him. She had to protect him. For Bianca. For all of the ones that she could not save. District 12 was due a Victor. He was deserving.

Despite the fact that he was a man.

He, and only he, deserved to make it home.

Alright, he didn't deserve it. No one in the Arena was deserving. Not Reyna and Clarisse, the Volunteers. Not her, the other Volunteer who let Britomartis and Celyn and Nymph and Bianca die. Not Katie, the deserter. And the ideas of all of the other men winning were laughable.

But Nico.

Zoe had to put her faith in Nico.

If not, where would it lie?

XXXXX

Frank hated the Gamemakers.

" _Run!"_ he hissed at Hazel, dragging her backwards, but it was too late. The Career from 4, the one with the red stringy hair, advanced on them, spear drawn. She drew her arm back and threw it.

Frank would have been skewered if Hazel hadn't pushed him out of the way. "Go!" Hazel shouted. "Run!"

"Cowards," the Career said. "You're cowards. Fight me!"

"You're the coward!" Frank shouted back. "You've got the advantage. You're trained! You wouldn't face us if we were as good as you!"  
"Whatever you wanna tell yourself, punk."

 _Shit._ The Career advanced on him. "No!" Hazel shouted.

 _I have the shield,_ Frank remembered, drawing it.

Just in time, as the spear smashed into it. The force sent a shock up Frank's arm, and Frank knew that he would have a bruise there later. Hazel ran at the Career, punching her hard in the back. Again and again, Hazel pummeled her. But then the Career turned, grabbed Hazel's wrists, and smashed her against the wall. Hazel screamed.

Frank pulled the same stunt and ran at the Career, Clare or something, but he had a shield. And that made all of the difference. 4 made an 'umph' noise as Frank hit her, and dropped Hazel. Hazel didn't waste time moving out of the way, going for the spear and standing behind the shield with Frank.

The Career cursed and drew a sword. Frank's eyes widened. Just how many weapons did this girl have, anyway?

Hazel jabbed at her with the spear, but 4 batted it aside, looking like it was just a vague annoyance. She stabbed at Frank, who ducked behind the shield. Hazel and Frank moved to opposite sides of her, Frank taking the brunt of the attacks while Hazel stabbed with the spear. But 4 was fast. She turned and punched Hazel in the face.

Hazel went down.

"Hazel!" Frank screamed desperately, needing to know if she was dead or alive, but then—

The boy from 10 really shouldn't have left his neck uncovered. It was almost too easy to slit his throat with her sword and Clarisse wondered if it had been this easy for Reyna and Percy. She almost wanted Princess with her now, not as an ally or anything, but just to prove that she was strong. She was a winner.

Clarisse wondered if her father was watching.

And then there was just pain. Clarisse looked down in anger and vague astonishment as a spear exited her stomach.

Hazel stood behind Clarisse, having stabbed her all the way through. "That's for Frank," she hissed, tears leaving her eyes. "You killed him. You killed him!"

Clarisse collapsed to the floor, and two cannons fired. Hazel collapsed too, sobbing. "He's dead. He's dead! You killed him!"

 _Frank is dead._

 **Tributes:**

 **D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade**

 **FRANK: Frank didn't have a lot of time to blossom in this story. He has never been one of the most talkative or attention-grabbing characters, and that was a problem when we get to the Final 8. However, I think that a few things about him were showcased: how much he cared about Hazel, and just how nice he was generally. Him killing Grover was one of my favorite moments. Again, this isn't a canon where a guy like him can succeed. In addition, he wouldn't have wanted to go home without Hazel. RIP.**

 **CLARISSE: Clarisse, on the other hand, did get a lot of screentime, simply because she was one of the Careers. I feel like she did get time to grow as a character, and I loved writing her relationship with Reyna. If I could, I would have kept her around for much longer. Her Ares heritage in the PJO canon makes her a perfect character for this. She's a strong killer, but she also has a lot of humanity that can't come out during an experience like this. I'm sorry that she won't be going home to Chris. RIP.**


	28. Together at Last

Final 6.

Katie couldn't believe that she had made it this far. For the first time, home seemed almost within reach.

 _No,_ Katie told herself. _I can't be thinking like that._

Hope was dangerous.

Still, what could it hurt?

 _Miranda, Miranda, Miranda…_ Katie focused on her sister, letting her sister's face drown out the images of all of the ghosts. Her heart was still racing. The ghost thing was probably a test or something. Katie didn't want to know if she had passed or failed.

A booming sound came behind her, and Katie started running again.

XXXXX

A few moments after the two cannons had rung out, a piece of the wooden ceiling caved in. _Fuck,_ Reyna thought. _Fuck, fuck, fuck._

She moved quickly towards the next fork. The left hallway collapsed. The hallway behind her was collapsing. Reyna started sprinting for all she was worth. She shed her backpack, only keeping her weapons on her. She could barely keep ahead of the crush, and she had a feeling that the Games would be over soon.

She just had to stay alive.

XXXXX

 _Frank…_ Hazel thought. _Frank, Frank, Frank._

No! It wasn't possible for him to be dead! He couldn't just leave her! Hazel curled up in a ball, sobbing. The two bodies were too close to her, and there was a rumbling noise. Hazel ignored it.

Frank had been everything to her. They had been friends since they were five and he defended her from a bully. They had come together out of necessity, yes, but that didn't change the fact that he grew into a best friend who Hazel loved spending time with, the one dependable person in her life, the person that she would have done anything for.

She loved him.

The a chunk of rock left the ceiling and fell not five yards away from Hazel.

 _You want me to run,_ Hazel drowsily thought. _You want to control me._

No. Never again. Hazel stayed where she was.

More rock kept falling. It covered the two bodies and Hazel wondered if they would be recovered.

 _I would have been happy to be buried next to him,_ Hazel thought to herself.

 _"We're friends forever!" an 12-year-old Frank hugged Hazel tightly as they separated for their first Reaping._

 _"Forever and ever and ever!" Hazel agreed._

 _"If you get Reaped, I'll Volunteer," Frank told her._

 _Hazel was surprised by the show of devotion, but with Frank, it seemed natural. After all, she'd do the same thing for him. "Me too!"_

 _"Friends forever."_

 _"Even after we die."_

 _"Really?" Frank asked her._

 _"Yeah," Hazel said. "Even after we die. We'll be best friends in the Soonafter."_

 _Frank squeezed her hand one last time, and they moved in opposite directions._

Hazel was not going to move from where she was. The Capitol could just kill her. She wouldn't care.

The rock stopped.

Hazel almost smiled. It appeared that they still wanted to keep her around. Hazel vowed not to give them the show that they wanted.

 _Frank…I'm coming._

XXXXX

Nico's body ached from not getting enough sleep, hunger, and wounds that he couldn't even remember getting. He reminded himself that however bad he felt, Will must be feeling worse, what with his stomach wound.

The sounds of collapsing metal and stone from behind them became even louder, and Nico, looking back, saw something fall. The roof was caving in. Fear shot through Nico, but adrenaline, too. Nico grabbed his ally's hand, dragging Will forward. Will complied, holding on to Nico as well, and running. Together, the two boys outdistanced the collapsing halls of the Arena.

Blood pumped through Nico. His breaths got short. His cheeks got red, and he felt sweaty and became more keenly aware of how unclean he was.

Also, Will was holding his hand.

 _It doesn't feel nice,_ Nico growled at himself. _Gah! I'm an idiot._

And together, the boys entered a large room. Just in time, too, as the entrance they had come through was filled with rubble. Heart racing, Nico checked to see if the room they were in would collapse.

It seemed stable, but then, so did the Arena. Still, the Gamemakers wouldn't just kill them like that…would they?

"Too boring of a death, right?" Will asked.

Had Will read his mind or something? But no, he was just looking for reassurance. "Doubtful," Nico said.

"Final Six." Will hesitated. "Do you think that we can make it home?"

"There's no we," Nico reminded him.

"Oh, yeah." Will swallowed.

"I'm not going to betray you," Nico said.

"Me neither."

This time, Nico was the one to swallow. His face burned, and he avoided Will's eyes. "Well, good."

Will laughed. It was a brittle noise, but still the best thing that Nico had ever heard.

XXXXX

 _Not again,_ Zoe thought to herself as she sprinted to escape the falling rocks. _Not again!_

She ran and ran, down the only clear path she could find. She had to live. She was going to live. She was going to win.

She entered a large room, like the one she had fought Ethan, Katie, and Annabeth in.

 _Not again._

XXXXX

Zoe entered the room with them.

Will knew that they had to kill anyone that they came across, but he still wasn't ready to do that. Bile rose in his throat.

And then Nico sprung.

"No!" Will screamed, but it was too late. Nico had crossed the room, tackling his district partner to the ground.

 _Zoe. Zoe. Zoe._ Blood pumped in Nico's ears, carrying the hateful word with every beat of his heart. It was as if his entire being was consumed with finally getting his revenge. He punched Zoe in the face, feeling a burst of elation as blood flowed from her noise. "You killed her! You killed her!"

He was aware of Will screaming something in the background, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was Zoe.

"I know," Zoe groaned.

The words surprised Nico enough to keep him from hitting her again, but Nico drew his sword. Zoe had to have some sort of weapon. "You admit it! You're a fucking murderer! You killed them all!"

"I know!" Zoe said again, and this time it was a desperate shout.

"Why?!" Nico screamed, and tears were coming down his face. "Why did you do it?!"  
"I thought I was doing the right thing."

She sounded so…defeated.

"No! You weren't! You killed her! Bianca never should have volunteered! She was _twelve!"_ Nico's throat felt raw, and he wished that he could slowly kill Zoe, torturing her as she had tortured him. And there was no reason that he couldn't! They were in the Games! He could do whatever he wanted! "You poisoned her mind! You told her to volunteer, so she did! She wasn't prepared! None of them were!"

"I know."

Why wasn't she fighting back?! Nico needed her to fight back!

"How could you?!" It was the last of Nico's energy. "How could you?" He whispered it again. "How could you? How?"

"I don't know."

"I hate you."

"I know."

"I'm going to kill you."

"I know."

Nico raised his sword.

"I'm sorry."

Nico brought the blade down.

It cut through Zoe's flesh and the cannon fired, but there was no satisfaction. Nico had never felt so…empty.

He was a murderer.

No. She was a murderer. He had gotten his revenge, his justice!

Where was the satisfaction?

"Bianca…" tears rolled down Nico's face.

Will was there. He enfolded Nico in his arms, and the two boys sat down. Nico sobbed into Will's shoulder, hating himself, hating Zoe, hating Bianca for leaving him. There was no hate for Will. He couldn't even muster up that to save his own life.

"I'm sorry," Nico said.

"It's going to be okay," Will promised.

"No, it's not."

Will didn't object.

"Kill me," Nico told him.

"No, Nico."

"Hurt me. Make me feel something."

Will responded by kissing him.

It was surprising.

 _That's an emotion, I guess,_ Nico thought.

"One of us is going home," Will told him.

"Yeah."

Will held out his hand, and Nico took it. They shook.

But didn't drop hands afterwards.

"I'm sorry," Nico said one final time.

 _I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry._

 **Tributes:**

 **D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano  
D9: Will Solace  
D10: Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo**

 **ZOE: She was kind of the surprise character in these Games. I knew that I wanted to have minor characters, and then super minor ones for cannon fodder, but I didn't even consider Zoe until I got to the empty D12F spot. Fun fact: I considered having Clarisse, Reyna, Katie, and even Ella being in Zoe's spot. Instead, I thought about Nico's past. And then the whole Zoe story came in. Zoe fit the plot of this story perfectly, and I think that she also worked well as a sort of Katniss stand-in. I think that Zoe has experienced a lot of development over the course of this story, possibly due to the large amount of screentime that she got. I won't deny that I had a bit of a soft spot for her, perhaps giving her too much attention. Still, she was so interesting to write! I hope that everyone enjoyed hearing from her, and I'm super sad that she's gone now. Still, Zoe was never going to be a Victor. She served her purpose, and she served it well. RIP, Huntress.**


	29. Knives and Stones

In District 11, young children played games with whatever they had. More often than not, that was just themselves and whatever patch of dirt their parents had left them at whenever they worked, or when they were at school.

In one of the games that they played, when they were still young and didn't know what anything meant, they all joined hands and danced in a circle, singing a song about rebels and ashes and things falling down. As they got older, maybe seven or eight and still dreadfully safe, they played Careers and Fodder, where a 'Career' chased all of the fodder tributes around and tackled them to the ground. Then came the inevitable talks with their parents the next summer during the Games, about what really happened and who died. (Katie and Miranda got it from their aunt and uncle, who died a few years later. Katie inherited their house and raised Miranda their on her own.)

Eventually, Careers and Fodder evolved into plain tag. Someone would be It, and they would chase everyone around the schoolyard at noontime. During Harvest, tag became a game to see who could collect the most. The kids'd all tire themselves out by noontime with the running under the burning sun, but the games remained.

Katie was reminded of this as she sprinted away from the falling stones and other things that used to be part of the Arena ceiling. A cannon boomed, and fear shot through her. Had whoever that had been died in the collapse? Was she next? She dodged a falling rock. _It's just Julia Feingold, right? Can't catch me, Julia!_ She tried to force herself into the mindset that it was all just a game, not that she would die if she slowed for a moment.

Katie didn't see the other girl coming.

The two girls smashed into each other, bowling each other over, hitting the ground. Katie didn't even bother fighting the other girl. She just shoved herself back up and kept on running. _Tag, tag, tag…that's all that this is._ Her feet pounded on the stone floor, _slappa-slappa-slappa._ Katie gasped, her lungs screaming for air, unable to take anything in.

She tripped.

She fell and hit the ground hard, smashing her jaw shut. Her mouth filled with blood, and horrified, Katie spat out a tooth. _Oh, Capitol…_ it was disgusting. It was horrifying. It was terrifying.

It had been her saving grace.

A knife had flew over her head as she had fallen. It would have buried itself it Katie's brain if Katie hadn't fallen. Katie scrambled backwards crab-style, catching a glimpse of the girl.

Reyna.

Blood roared through Katie's ears, keeping her energized, afraid. Katie snatched up the knife. Reyna had her sword out and that whole _stay-still-and-I'll-make-it-quick_ look in her eyes.

Not on Katie's life.

The two girls regarded each other for a moment. One part of Reyna was glad that it wasn't Clarisse. The other was upset by it. With three cannons in the last hour, Clarisse could've been dead. Reyna wasn't sure if she wanted that. She hated herself for the indecision.

She chose instead to focus on respect for the worthy opponent before her. District 11 had not ever been labeled as one of the more dangerous ones, yet she was still alive. That warranted some modicum of acknowledgement.

The two girls advanced on each other. Finally, Reyna made the first move, a thrust. Katie didn't bother blocking it with the puny little knife. She threw herself to the side, then launched herself at Reyna.

The two girls went rolling on the floor, Reyna's sword and Katie's knife too trapped between the two of them and the ground to move and use, biting and kicking and punching, each of them not on top for more than a moment. Katie kicked her opponenet in the shins. Reyna gritted her teeth, but yanked Katie's lank braid back, making Katie scream. Katie kicked Reyna in the chest. And then they were rolling again, again…

Reyna got her hands around Katie's throat. Stars burst across Katie's vision as her air was cut off. Katie made one last gambit. She smashed her head into Reyna's. Her own head hurt, but Reyna let go.

Katie backed up, scrambling for a knife, but Reyna was still too fast for her. In an instant, the girl from 2 had her sword in her hand, and slashed in across Katie's front. It hit both of Katie's arms and her stomach. Katie got woozy at the bright red of her blood as it spilled out and hit the floor. But then Reyna was advancing and Katie backed up, slipped…

Katie threw the knife at Reyna.

The blade didn't hit her. Katie's heart plummeted.

But Katie had force behind it, and the handle, the pommel it was, hit Reyna between the eyes. Reyna staggered backward. Then Katie was up, and with a shove, Reyna fell.

Katie smashed Reyna's head into the floor.

Again.

Again.

A cannon fired.

Katie stared down, horrified. She couldn't—she couldn't believe—

There was a body.

The body used to be a real, live, breathing _human._

Now it wasn't.

The ceiling kept falling in.

Katie grabbed a knife and kept running.

(She was a murderer, murderer, murderer! Miranda was watching, what did Miranda think, Miranda knew she was a murderer, she was a murderer, she _killed_ someone oh Capitol she _killed_ and she was alive but someone else wasn't! Reyna had a sister too, Katie had killed a sister, she had _murdered_ someone!)

She was alive, though, she was alive!

She couldn't stop now! She had to make it back!

XXXXX

Somewhere in the world, a brother watched fearfully, hoping against hope that his twin would make it back.

Somewhere in the world, a grandmother bowed her head, forcing herself to stay strong for the girl that was still alive, as if her strength could be communicated over the miles.

Somewhere in the world, a sister gripped the table until her knuckles turned white, begging, praying that her sister would survive.

Somewhere in the world, a district watched their still-living tribute and sent their wishes out to him despite what he had just done.

XXXXX

A cannon fired.

A brother wished that he could have done more. An enemy refused to take the blame for a death. A father wondered where his child had gone wrong. A sister couldn't believe that she hadn't done enough. A brother sobbed at the idea that his best friend, his caretaker, the most important thing in the world to him, wouldn't be coming home. A father felt a deep sense of regret, not able to comprehend the death before him. A brother was in shock at the idea that his brother would never again hug him goodnight. A boyfriend looked over the water, trying to sense the presence of someone that he loved.

A cannon fired.

A sister felt deep anger at the brother that had been stolen from her. A sister felt regret at the way she had treated her younger sister. A girlfriend sobbed over the small box holding a simple silver ring. A mother, helpless, watched her child begin to vomit again and knew that no aid was coming. A friend lurked in the darkness, not able to muster up the courage to steal a wallet. A father wondered if he could have done more.

A cannon fired.

A sister wished that her sister had died with more dignity, in a happier way, a way that she deserved. A grandmother knew that her grandson had died well, and wished that she was able to communicate that. A brother wished that he had made a different choice, a better choice. A district sent silent thoughts of praise to one of their fallen citizens, excusing her from her life's crimes and wishing her on to a better place.

A cannon fired. 

**Tributes:**

 **D9: Will Solace  
D10: Hazel Levesque  
D11: Katie Gardner  
D12: Nico di Angelo**

 **REYNA: Reyna deserved a better death than what she got. Her death didn't give her enough attention or nearly enough dignity and honor. She deserved more time with the spotlight during this story. Still, I think that she was able to develop slightly, comprehending the difference between a friend and an ally, and never really able to reconcile the 'desensitized killer' and 'honorable leader' parts of her. Out of all the people left, Reyna deserved to win the most, what with all of the time training she put in. Sadly, that doesn't matter when it comes down to it. Reyna was strong, steadfast, and a perfect Victor, but her luck ran out. I'm sorry for killing such an amazing and dynamic character. RIP.**

 **I know this chapter was short. That was intentional.**


	30. Endgame

There were two more passages leading into the room, and Will got a very, very bad feeling.

"There are more coming!" he yelled at Nico.

Nico looked like he was in shock. "What?"

"More tributes! See?"

"No."

"We have to run, Nico!"

Nico was too slow to move, and Will wondered if this is what he had been like when Lou died. How long ago had that been? Will couldn't remember. It seemed like years that they had been in the Arena. So much had happened. Lou had died. Will had allied himself with Nico. He hadn't killed anyone, but Nico had. (They had kissed. Will reddened despite himself.)

It was too late, as Katie Gardner came sprinting into the room. She had a knife. She was covered in blood.

Katie and Will's eyes met. Will knew what had to happen.

One of them had to die. And it wasn't going to be Will's alliance. He ignored the fact that he would have to kill Nico to live. "Sword."

"No."

Will almost screamed at the expression on Nico's face, and for a moment, he really did believe that Nico was going to break the alliance now and kill him. But no, Nico just charged at Katie.

Will hated feeling useless.

Nico just felt dead inside. He had killed Zoe. _He had killed Zoe._

He had expected it to feel good. Satisfying. He finally had avenged Bianca.

Then why did he feel so empty?

Because he was a killer. He was no better than Zoe had been.

Will…Will wasn't. Will was everything that Nico wasn't. Nico wasn't going to let Will put himself into danger. Yeah, Nico wanted to go home. If it came down to the two of them (not, by the way, as statistically improbable as it had been days before), he would probably kill his fr—ally.

But not yet.

Katie charged at Nico as he ran at her, holding her knife aloft. Nico got the first hit in, stabbing her arm, but Katie pulled back and twisted around, grazing Nico's arm with her knife. Nico briefly remembered the poison that Will hadn't been able to cure. That knife wasn't poisoned, right?

"Nice face," Nico baited his opponent. "What happened to you?"

Katie didn't answer, and Nico had a feeling that she was tired, or at least more exhausted than he was. That was good for him. Nico went on the offensive again, forcing Katie backwards with each blow. His arms had become more used to holding the sword aloft. His swings were less wild than they had been on the first day. Nico was grateful that he had picked up the sword. It had saved his life many times over.

Finally, Katie slipped up. She fell for one of Nico's feints, moving to the right to block while Nico stabbed left. With a start, Nico realized that she already had two other open wounds on her arm, and not from him. She had fought someone, probably _killed_ someone, recently. "Who?" he asked.

But Katie gritted her teeth, coming back low and fast, trying to get under is guard. She was close to him. Very close. Nico easily cut into the side of her led, and Katie screamed. But by being close up with a knife, she had more versatility. She stabbed him. It was only by the grace of something big that the blow wasn't fatal. It only hit his shoulder, sending him staggering back. Katie yanked the knife out. Nico felt woozy as blood rushed out of the wound.

He felt tired. Very tired.

He had been tired for a long time. His anger…that was all that had been keeping him from falling asleep. All this time.

He shouldn't have volunteered.

He didn't really regret it.

Someone was saying something, something watery and warbling, at some point above him. Nico felt his sword ripped from his hands. He hoped it was Will. That would be good. Nico might have eventually allowed himself to love Will, if things had been different. Nico imagined a different world. A place with green meadows, houses for everyone, a place where it didn't rain or snow unless you wanted it to. Friends, maybe. Strawberry fields. Nico had had a strawberry once. Bianca gave it to him for his sixth birthday. It tasted good.

Nico didn't feel pain, or regret, or emptiness.

He felt nothing.

A cannon fired, but Will refused to believe that it had been Nico's. Somewhere out there, the fourth tribute must have died. That was the answer. There wasn't any other option. All Will had to do was defend Nico, just until Katie was…gone…and he could heal him.

Katie felt tears stinging at her eyes. Two. Two kills. She was a murderer, worse than a Career.

 _No! They trained! They wanted to do this! They volunteered!  
_ A laugh burbled in Katie's throat. _Oh. I volunteered too. Right._

 _Not like they did! For all the right reasons! I wasn't gonna let Miranda die! Better me than her._

 _Better anyone but you. You killed someone, remember?_

She had killed two people, yes.

But didn't that mean that she had to fight all the harder to get home? She had gone to far to lose now. She had to fight her best, kill whoever it too, if it meant making it back to Miranda. She'd atone for the murders later, in a time when she could. But not now. Just not now.

 _There's no going back._

Katie ran at Will, wishing she had a sword and not a short knife. Still, Will was obviously unprepared, and Katie got a good hit in to his right hand, moving in a flurry of motion to scrape up his shoulders and chest. Still, it was all too superficial. Katie felt weak, and she knew that she was badly wounded. Will pushed her back. It hurt. A lot.

Wincing, Will switched his sword to his left hand. It felt wrong. He stood in front of Nico's form. Nico wasn't moving. Or making a sound. But he wasn't dead. They had come through too much for Nico to die. They would be the Final Two.

And then what?

A sob tore its way free of Will's chest.

Nico was dead. Or, he would be soon. And Will couldn't save him. Not if he wanted to live.

Will considered himself a peaceful person. He didn't want to lose himself in these Games.

But he had to.

 _One._ Lou Ellen, dead on the ground. _Two._ Jason, dead somewhere, somehow, because someone was a murderer and because Will couldn't save him. _Three._ Hazel, leaving him for Frank. _Four._ Annabeth, dying of poison because Will couldn't save her. _Five._ Nico. Gone. Gone forever.

And why not? _Six._ Austin, not volunteering for him.

Will let the anger consume him as he charged at Katie again.

Katie sensed some sort of change in her opponent. His blows were erratic. His swings went wild. But he had a lot of force behind them. And he just kept coming.

Katie finally stopped trying to block any of the blows and turned around, running away. She chose the tunnel she hadn't come out of. Maybe she was miscounting the cannons. Maybe it was just her and Will left in the Arena. Maybe she was one step away from home. She couldn't stop now!

But she was tired. And slowly bleeding out. And she couldn't run forever. She turned, to find Will there. He crashed into her, sword-end first.

Katie had never felt anything so painful.

"No!" she choked out. "I…I'm not…"

"I'm sorry," Will whispered.

Katie did _not_ accept the apology!

She couldn't be dying!

Final Two! Final Two! She just had to kill…him…first!

 _Miranda…_

She was going home! Katie was going to go home! She tried to lift her arms, slit Will's throat.

 _Miranda!_

Katie raised the knife…killed him…the cannon fired…the trumpets rang…and she was going home.

Katie fell.

It had been a nice dream, at least for a while.

Katie focused on her sister's face.

Miranda would live a long life because of her.

That would have to be enough.

Katie's cannon rang out, and Will collapsed, sobbing. He had killed someone. He had _killed_ someone.

And Will wanted to let himself be consumed by guilt! He deserved to have that happen to him! But he couldn't!

Will knew that he had to keep on fighting. Somewhere in this godforsaken maze, there was another tribute. Will just had to kill them.

And then he would be going home.

 _Home._ He was almost there. He had never imagined that he would be going home again.

There was that same ominous rumbling noise that had sent him and Nico running for the first time. Will stood up, and moved forward. The tunnel was collapsing behind him. _I hope you get your good camera shots,_ Will thought, surprised at the thought.

He started jogging as the collapse came faster, running faster and faster with every rock that fell.

And almost tripped over his last opponent. Walls came down behind and in front of them, giving them a long, not-very-wide rectangular room to have the last battle in.

Of all the tributes left, Will didn't expect it to be Hazel.

Will wanted to believe that he wasn't sure whether he could kill her. But he wanted to go home so badly. He could almost taste the clean summer air of District 9, hear the guitar melodies that Kayla would play.

Hazel didn't even stand up. "Hey, Will."

"Hazel." Will didn't know why he responded to her. She looked almost dead already. Will wondered if this would all just be a big nightmare, something he'd wake up from. He almost wished that it wasn't. If he went home…he would be safe, forever. His family would be safe and secure.

"I'm glad it's you," Hazel mumbled.

Will didn't understand what she was saying, but the ceiling rumbled, making Will's heart go faster. "Hazel…we have to fight."

"No, we don't," she mumbled. "Just kill me."

The ceiling rumbled again. Hazel laughed. "Fine. I'll fight you."

Compared to everything else, their final battle was quick. Hazel had a shield, and Will had a sword. Will, afraid, regretful, made the first few moves. His sword rang on her shield, loud and clear. But then Hazel started swinging herself. Will wanted to move to her side to try to get a clear shot ( _he was thinking about killing his former ally what was wrong with him?!)_ , but he couldn't. Not with the tiny space that they had.

Hazel was almost going home.

She didn't want to, not without Frank.

 _Frank Frank Frank…_

But there was just something so _tempting_ about life.

She didn't have anything to live for, not like she knew Will did.

But she wanted to live anyway.

Did that make her a bad person? What made a _good_ person? Was it really her fault if she was bad? Didn't that just make her a victim of circumstance? Frank had killed Grover, she knew. But was that really his fault?

Hazel gave some more conviction to her blows.

One of them hit Will in the side of the head, and he fell, groaning. Hazel hit him again. She couldn't let the cameras realize that she didn't want to live. They'd kill her family and Will's. She wished that Will would get up and kill her, in a way. But if he wasn't going to fight back…was she supposed to let him win? No, right?

Again and again, but Will wasn't out yet…

It was the most pain Hazel had ever felt as the sword entered her stomach. Hazel stumbled back, the weapon still in her. Will had stabbed her! He had tried to kill her! Hazel didn't know what she wanted, sure, but she would never know if she died!

She screamed as she yanked the sword out, stumbling forward, something _awful_ shifting around inside of her (would her guts fall out?) and stabbed Will in the stomach before falling beside him.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, hoping no cameras would hear her.

"Me too," Will said.

It hurt. Will's everything hurt. _Home…think about home…_

It hurt. Hazel's everything hurt. _Frank. Frank. Frank._

Hazel almost thought that she could see his kind eyes hovering above her.

Together, the last tributes waited for one of their cannons to fire.

 **Tributes:**

 **D9: Will Solace  
D10: Hazel Levesque**

 **NICO: A lot of Nico's personality was consumed by his burning desire for revenge, one that we see in play a lot in BotL. Still, while this made him a good catalyst character, it stopped us from seeing all of the little moments. This story could have gone very differently if Nico had given up on revenge, instead spending more time learning about Will, opening up, and learning to let go of the past. I think that a lot of people expected Nico to win, and he certainly could have. Still, someone so consumed by revenge would feel a little empty once achieving their goal. I'll miss Nico and his short-lived relationship with Will. RIP, Nico. I hope you see Bianca again.**

 **KATIE: Katie was kind of a surprise finalist. She never got much screentime or much attention from anyone, kind of floating around the edges on her own. I originally had her put down as a much more active character, killing a few people ad eventually winning, but then I changed the Arena design and that changed everything. I think that what made Katie stand out was that eventually, she was willing to do anything to get home to her sister. She was absolutely devoted to Miranda, and would have done anything for her. Katie should have gotten more time to be developed, but sadly, she was ignored for the more dynamic characters that surrounded her. RIP.**


	31. Waking Up

"Victor's awake!"

There was a flurry of motion, people moving around the large, exceedingly sterile white room. Will blinked a few times, trying to clear the dark spots from his vision.

 _Victor._

He was…Victor?

He moved his arm. His other one. He was alive.

Alive.

Alive!

Will passed out.

XXXXX

He woke up again sometime later. He honestly wasn't sure what time it was. Or where he was. Why was he in the clean room? They didn't have hospitals like this in District 9.

It hit him again that he was the Victor.

The Victor. He had won.

He had won! He was going home!

XXXXX

Will's sleep got more scheduled and even over the next few days. His mentor, Lee Fletcher, was there with him most of the time. They didn't really talk, just sat in silence. Will didn't feel like talking anymore, anyway. Lee told him about home. He assured Will that his family was still alive and well, that everyone was ecstatic, that the Capitol was ecstatic.

Will closed his eyes every night and let himself think about the dark-haired teen that he had spent his time in the Games with.

He didn't want to think about it too much, but he was pretty sure that he would have died without Nico.

 _Thank you,_ Will thought to the dark room that surrounded him, hoping that Nico's ghost was listening. _You saved me. Thank you._

XXXXX

Within a little while, it was time for the recap. Will knew it as soon as his stylist dragged him out of the hospital room and started putting him in some simple black pants, interwoved with something shimmery, and a golden armor breastplate over another black shirt. Will felt too fancy, and the armor was heavy. But something about it seemed right. Will fingered his pants, trying to feel Nico's presence somewhere in the darkness of them. He imagined that Lou was with him, too, in the sparkling silk. His family and the District 9 sun were his armor. And then he was himself.

He went on the stage to ear-shattering applause. He and Antaeus exchanged a few questions and quips before the recap started.

The Reapings flashed by quickly. Will named each tribute as they were called up, or volunteered. He was thankful that he didn't feel any bitterness towards the ones who had hurt him. All of the Careers…Octavian especially. Will just felt sad. All of them were dead. He felt almost empty, like a glass cup with the water poured out and eagerly devoured by the waiting ground. Next up were the chariot rides. The cameras focused on Will, on Nico, on Reyna, on Katie. The scores flashed by for half of them. Will took a moment to remember the ones that were left out. _Castor. 8. Ella. 4. Jason. 5. Rachel. 5. Clovis. 1. Calypso. 4. Piper. 6. Lou. 5. Connor. 2._ He felt some anger, at least, at Lou being left out. But she got a glorious moment for the interviews, birds flying away from her. Will let out a small grin at the sight of his friend looking so powerful in front of the nation. His interview wasn't bad, either, but nothing remarkable.

Then the Games started.

Will had seen bad things in there. He had done bad things. But he wasn't prepared for…this. So many deaths. The ones he didn't know about, like Ella, killed so quickly and coldly, or Connor, stabbed and left to die alone. Lou.

Lou.

He hated himself for not being able to remember how she had died. But he had been hysterical and Nico had pulled him away…and now there were cameras getting every gory angle.

She deserved better than this.

Percy ran away with Annabeth. Reyna killed Piper before Nancy could. Rachel killed herself. Calypso's death was shown, slowly strangled and mutilated by plants and acids. Octavian's death. Leo's death. Nancy's death, mauled by the wolf. Will almost felt sorry for her.

Frank killed Grover. Will felt a brief shot of happiness at Annabeth and Percy kissing, Frank and Hazel kissing, before he remembered that the four of them were dead and couldn't appreciate anything anymore. He fervently wished that there was some sort of afterlife where they could be happy. They deserved it. Even Percy. More and more people died, and then suddenly it was just the five of them left. Will watched himself let Nico kill Zoe. He watched himself let Katie kill Nico. He watched himself murder Nico and Hazel.

He didn't let himself cry.

"And how do you feel?" Antaeus asked him.

 _How do you think?_ Will wanted to scream. He kept himself under control. "I'm going home. To be honest…I don't think that anything's ever felt better."

XXXXX

Will couldn't imagine anything feeling better. He really couldn't.

The first arms to engulf him were his mother's. He collapsed into her, but she held him, strong and steady. There were tears on his head. He was crying onto her shoulder. Then his father's strong arms encircled him, worn and muscular. Kayla wormed her way in. Austin joined the hug.

They stayed like that for a good long while.

Will had never felt so happy.

He had never assumed that he would live.

But he had! He was back! He was alive and well, and he had saved his family from poverty and starvation! He had saved himself!

Going into the Games, killing Katie and Hazel…it was all worth it!

(Will needed it to be worth it, he needed so badly for it to be worth it—)

Austin took his hand on the way back, and Will squeezed, comforted by his twin brother's presence. When they were much younger they always held hands. They were inseparable, and their parents rolled their eyes and laughed about their two little devils.

"I'm sorry," Austin whispered.

"It's okay," Will said.

He didn't want to talk about this. Not because he was bitter towards Austin. If he could let go of his anger towards Octavian, than he could forgive Austin for the non-crime he had committed.

"I…" Will was embarrassed to see Austin crying. "I've never, ever regretted anything any more. The fact that you're back? It's a second chance. I'll never abandon you again."

Will let the lie fester between them, pulling his brother into a hug.

"I think we have an appointment to teach someone guitar." They laughed, and Austin grinned at him.

Will couldn't finger the strings anymore. His hands shook too much. His voice had never been as nice as anyone else in his family's, so he kind of just hummed along. His father introduced him to the drums one day. Will kind of enjoyed hammering out a rhythm on them. Austin coached him through the shaking ever day, helping Will build back up his guitar skills.

It was as perfect a life as Will could imagine.

He prayed every night. Not to a god, or anything. He wasn't sure if he believed in one. But Death was real. Death was eternal. And Will refused to believe that with the infinity of the universe, everyone was truly gone for good. He got on his knees, looked out the window, and apologized to everyone. To Katie. To Katie's sister. To Zoe. To Hazel. To Nico.

He thanked them, too.

Thanked them for his life.

 **HAZEL: Hazel wasn't ever perfectly suited for the Arena she was in. She was a warrior of the open plains, one with a gigantic sword and a really fast horse. Because of that, her character skills were seriously cramped by these Games. However, Hazel is and always will be a survivor. She made it far. However, something that is different about her character in this continuity is that her past gave her a severe dependency on Frank. Without him, she couldn't go on, and I don't think that she would have wanted to. I do believe that she would have been happy to see Will go back to his family. RIP, Hazel.**

 **There will be at least 1 more chapter, possible 2.**

 **TRIBUTE DEATHS:  
** 24\. Ella Harrison **(killed by Clarisse La Rue)  
** 23\. Castor Bourdeax **(killed by Ethan Nakamura)  
** 22\. Clovis Sonan **(killed by Nancy Bobofit)  
** 21\. Lou Ellen Lerner **(killed by Octavian Hill)  
** 20\. Connor Stoll **(killed by Zoe Nightshade)  
** 19\. Piper Mclean **(killed by Reyna Ramirez-Arellano)  
** 18\. Rachel Dare **(killed by herself)  
** 17\. Calypso Aterra **(killed by Gamemakers)  
** 16\. Octavian Hill **(killed by Gamemakers and Hazel Levesque)  
** 15\. Leo Valdez **(killed by Clarisse La Rue)  
** 14\. Nancy Bobofit **(killed by Gamemakers)  
** 13\. Grover Underwood **(killed by Frank Zhang)  
** 12\. Jason Grace **(killed by Ethan Nakamura)  
** 11\. Annabeth Chase **(poisoned by Ethan Nakamura)  
** 10\. Ethan Nakamura **(killed by Percy Jackson)  
** 9\. Percy Jackson **(killed by Reyna Ramirez-Arellano)  
** 8\. Frank Zhang **(killed by Clarisse La Rue)  
** 7\. Clarisse La Rue **(killed by Hazel Levesque)  
** 6\. Zoe Nightshade **(killed by Nico di Angelo)  
** 5\. Reyna Ramirez-Arellano **(killed by Katie Gardner)  
** 4\. Nico di Angelo **(killed by Katie Gardner)  
** 3\. Katie Gardner **(killed by Will Solace)  
** 2\. Hazel Levesque **(killed by Will Solace)  
** VICTOR: Will Solace


	32. The Tour

Naomi died.

They called it a suicide. But as Kayla and Austin sobbed, and as Will tried to muster up some emotion to show, it was obvious to him that she hadn't taken her own life. Will knew that it was a warning.

The Victory Tour was too soon after that, and Will thought that without Lee guiding him through it every step of the way, he might have been overwhelmed by everything.

They started off in 12. Will didn't know what to expect. He had been Nico's ally, yes, but he had let Nico die. He had let Zoe die. 12 might have thought that they'd finally get another Victor, but no. There was no one standing on either of the two platforms. The entire district stared up at him like dying cattle, accusing, tired.

(Diana wondered if she could have changed the course of events. She wondered if it would have been worth it at all.)

Will said his words and moved on.

It almost seemed fitting that Nico had grown up in such a dark, dirty place. But all of Will's visions of him didn't match the persona the Capitol gave him. Nico was vibrant. Alive.

11 was horrible.

The entire district glared up at him with burning anger in their eyes. Katie's sister stood on the platform alone. Her eyes were red, and she didn't even look up at Will. The guilt threatened to overwhelm him.

(Miranda felt the guilt creeping up on her, day by day. Maybe she wouldn't have survived the Games in Katie's place. But she would rather be dead than responsible for the death of her older sister.)

Connor's brother looked shell-shocked, broken, almost. But he still glared up at Will as if Will had killed his brother. Will wanted to scream at him. _It wasn't me! It was Zoe!_ But he couldn't. His mere presence really meant that he was a killer of all 23 other tributes, didn't it?

(Travis should have volunteered. But he didn't. All he could do no was keep on breathing, day by day, somehow doing it without his brother and partner in crime.)

Hazel's mother looked dead inside. Will caught her glaring at him a few times, but he could see something in her expression, in her body language, that made him think that she only felt hate towards herself. Will caught himself wondering how long it would be before she died, too, and hated himself for it.

(The boy on the stage was vibrant gold, but he killed Hazel, didn't he? The colors spun wildly. Marie tried to glare at him. If Hazel had come back, then she would have kept her promise, definitely. But Hazel was dead and now all that was left was Terra, and then the comforting grasp of oblivion.)

Frank's grandmother didn't look at him. Will felt almost annoyed. She could at least acknowledge him.

Mostly, he wondered if he could have respected her in another world. She looked almost like a buzzard, tightly wound, wearing all black, but there was an undeniable strength in her posture.

(There was a certain respect that the old woman held for the boy that had won over her grandson. There was no reason to begrudge him his life. It just…it hurt too much to look at his face when it wasn't Fai's.)

Will gorged himself on anything he could eat that night, throwing it all up in the toilets before going back and smashing the plates, cutting his hands and arms open.

"Red doesn't suit you," Lee told him quietly, before hugging Will. Will sobbed into his arms.

They skipped 9 and moved on to 8, which was the easiest so far. There was no one on Ethan's platform, and somehow, that didn't surprise Will. He didn't know Ethan at all. He had seen Ethan do some bad things, but Will was pretty sure that Ethan had been some form of crazy during his last days. No one deserved to die in the Games, especially not a slow death like that.

(Alabaster didn't regret not volunteering for Ethan. Ethan wouldn't have done it for him. Alabaster valued his own life above that of his leader. Ethan had had a good run, anyway. That was the best that any of their useless selves could hope for.)

Will knew that Piper's father was a Victor, and that was why he was so surprised by how broken the man looked. Tristan Mclean was still young, and had always been the paragon of virtue and male beauty in the Capitol. Will couldn't see that anymore. Tristan wasn't crying, and with a cold shock, Will wondered if that was how he looked every night when he couldn't make the tears come out.

(Tristan should have done more. But now his little girl was gone. Tristan didn't begrudge her the last moments she had lived. They were brave and selfless. But he was almost glad that one of her allies hadn't won. He didn't think that he could deal with that. Tristan found Drew's face on stage. Her eyes were red, like she had been crying, but Tristan knew that the idea of that was ridiculous.)

7.

There was no one on Calypso's platform. But the people standing around it…they were packed in tightly, but they looked like they wanted to be there. They were solid. Unified. Will knew that the district had loved Calypso, but he hadn't expected this.

(Mellie wondered if her young son would make it through the flu he had caught that winter without Calypso's help. She turned her eyes to the gray sky, hoping that Calypso's spirit, wherever it was, was happy.)

Grover didn't seem to have parents. There was just his girlfriend on stage, still sobbing, even after six months. Will did a double take as he saw her clutching at her stomach.

She was pregnant.

(Juniper kept one finger on the ring that she had found under Grover's bed the day that he had died and tried to keep herself from hating the Victor too much. She failed.)

"I'm sorry!" Will screamed that night, between retching and sobbing.

District 6 was next on the list.

Clovis's family was big. He seemed to have several brother, several sisters, or maybe they were cousins? There were adults, too. With a start, Will wondered if he had been justifying his own life with the idea that his family needed him most. Well, Clovis had many more people waiting for him to come home.

Will didn't deserve any of the gifts that he had been given.

(15 times 10 is 150, Moran reminded himself. His younger brother had used the numbers to stay awake, but Moran could use them to keep himself from attacking everyone around him. Someday, justice would come. He had to believe that.)

There were two people on Rachel's platform, undoubtedly her mother and father. Her parents stood slightly apart from each other, straight and tall. Will felt hate shoot through him. He imagined Rachel's father rushing away from the Tour after he was done, trying to get back to work as soon as possible. Will dragged on the speech for as long as possible on purpose.

But after he was done, Rachel's mother collapsed into her husband's arms, and they stayed there for a minute or two. The man's face was buried in his wife's shoulder, and with a start, Will realized that he seemed to be crying. But then Mr. Dare stood back up straight and left.

(Mrs. Dare couldn't believe that her daughter wasn't coming back. There was blame to be placed somewhere, that was for sure. Was it her fault, somehow? Her husband's? Rachel's, for not being strong enough? Was it the fault of those who had killed her? Mrs. Dare didn't even consider blaming the Capitol as she pushed the blame onto the people of her district, the ones that hadn't volunteered to save her little girl.)

Will wasn't looking forward to 5 and Jason.

There were five girls on Ella's podium. Two of them almost looked like they were smiling. The other three looked bored. Will wondered what Ella had gone through. She had seemed very strange, yes, but intelligent nonetheless. What had her life been like?

She had deserved a chance, that much was obvious. She had never gotten one, though. Her life had been cut off prematurely.

It wasn't fair.

(Ocypeta refused to mourn her sister. Ella was the reason that their mother had died and that their father had left. Still, she couldn't help but wonder…in another world, another time…what could have happened to change the course of events?)

Jason's sister stood alone on her platform. _Tanya…Thalia!_ Will recalled. She couldn't be more different from her brother. She was kind of scary, hair black and spiky, face angry. She glared up at Will, but as Will met her eyes, he understood that she wasn't angry with him.

Just the world.

(The world had killed her little brother. Thalia should have been able to save him, yes. Somehow, she should have found a way. But the world were the ones that had killed him in the end, and Thalia would find a way to wreak havoc and finally get her revenge.)

And then District 4.

Clarisse's platform was packed, too. There were her parents, and person Will recognized as her brother from the interviews. Then there was her boyfriend. While the rest of Clarisse's family was just glaring, Chris looked like he might have been crying earlier.

Will almost wished that Clarisse had made it back to her loving boyfriend. They could have lived happily ever after. It would have made a wonderful story.

Then he remembered the truth of the matter and how he really did value his own life.

Stories were nicer than the real world.

But the real world was where Will was still alive.

(Chris imagined what Clarisse would've said if she knew he was crying. She'd pretend to be angry, but then get that gruff sound in her voice that meant she was close to crying. Then they'd do something stupid and laugh. Chris was sad that she was gone. He didn't understand how he could make it without her. But Chris hoped in his heart that wherever Clarisse was now, she was as free as she deserved to be.)

On Percy's platform were two men, a woman, and a young boy. Maybe as old as Kayla. Will felt bile rising in this throat, and self-hatred rose in his body, choking him. Lee tapped the small of his back slightly, and Will took a breath, feeling more grounded. _I'm sorry,_ he wanted to say.

But he didn't.

He couldn't.

(Sally didn't want to face the fact that her son was gone. She couldn't. She had been a horrible mother, a horrible person. She had inadvertently killed her son. She gripped Tyson's shoulder tighter, swearing that he'd never fall victim to the Games. Not like Percy had. A tear trickled down her cheek. He was gone.)

3, where Will couldn't save Annabeth.

There was a single boy standing on Leo's platform.

His brother.

Will almost threw up right there. It wasn't fair! Leo's brother was on his own now, and Will couldn't do anything about it!

But something strange happened.

Two people were approaching the stage. A man and a woman. A few Peacekeepers made a ring, keeping them back. But a chant started. "Let them by! Let them by!"

The Peacekeepers took a step back.

The boy on the platform broke into tears as the man and the woman joined him.

So maybe Leo didn't have very much biological family. But Will prayed that he could get by, with these other two people by his side.

(Nyssa felt a strange sense of satisfaction as she stood by Harley's side. Maybe she hadn't been able to save Leo. But she had been able to change something. _You thought that no one cared about you,_ she thought to Leo. _But we do. More than you can imagine._ That boy had been family to her. Maybe she couldn't save him. But she could save Harley.)

Annabeth's father stood on the platform, her stepfamily slightly behind him. There was another woman and a young man who stood on the platform separated from the others. Annabeth's mother, maybe? A brother? Will hated himself for not wanting to know.

(Frederick cried every night as he thought of the relationship that he never got to have with his daughter. He didn't even deserve the name of 'father.' He had let his little girl go. He deserved to die. _I'm sorry!_ He thought. _I'm so, so sorry._ He looked at his former wife, who had her eyes fixed to the stage. Their daughter's face flickered behind them on a gigantic screen.)

The first thing that Will noticed in 2 was the two dogs that were on Reyna's platform. There were also two women. They had resemblance to the dark-haired tribute who Will had faced down. There was something in their stances, in their dark eyes, that made Will absolutely sure that they were all family.

Will wondered what was going on behind their eyes. Were they grieving? Ashamed? Angry? Unemotional? Were they proud?

(Hylla couldn't single out any one emotion at the moment. She felt anger at the Capitol, at Will, everyone. But anger towards those places was utterly futile. The only thing that she was sure of was her pride towards Reyna. Reyna hadn't come back, but that just made Hylla regret her own decisions. Reyna had faced her death with grace. Reyna was a true warrior. Hylla was proud of her sister.)

Will was almost startled to see that Octavian had family. There were two people on the stage, probably his parents. Will remembered how the district had refused to volunteer for Octavian, and remembered how Octavian had killed Lou Ellen. What kind of people could raise such a monster?

(Octavian's father felt hate towards his district. His son was gone. That was never supposed to happen. Octavian was supposed to be someone someday. He wasn't supposed to die. But they had let him. They had killed him!)

"Don't do it," Lee told Will.

"What?" Will asked, annoyed.

"Whatever you were thinking about, Solace. Don't even…think about it." It came out as a question in the end, and Lee flushed, annoyed.

Will gazed upwards at the plush red velvet ceiling of the train. "Okay, Lee."

"And don't you dare—really?"

"Yes. Please shut up."

"You shut up."

District 9's two male Victors eventually went to sleep, across from each other at the brown wooden table. Hattie found them in the morning, and reprimanded them for not getting enough rest for District 1.

There was a man who was on Nancy's platform, standing on shaky legs, who at one point wasn't even standing up. Instead, he sat down on the platform, legs hanging over the wood. Was that Nancy's father? Will hated Nancy. He didn't want to know about her father's inadequacy. It made it hard to hate her.

 _That's not what I'm trying to do,_ Will reminded himself. _Forgive. Forgive._

It was just so hard!

(Allina didn't regret anything. Except maybe she did. She remembered when Nancy had been younger. Just as ugly, just as annoying, but friendly enough, at least a little smart and fun to be around. Allina hadn't ruined anything. It had always been Nancy! Why couldn't Allina make herself remember that?)

Will almost believed that Castor was alive again, but on second glance, it was just a boy who was almost identical. Castor's twin.

Will got choked up again as he imagined Austin, standing like Castor was, bereft of the person he was closest to.

He was glad that he was alive.

Castor's father was there, too, leaning heavily on his remaining son. What was going on with him? Were all the fathers in District 1 this inadequate? Will didn't really want to know.

(Pollux missed his brother. So much. It was as if half of him had been ripped away. Now, all that was left was anger towards his father. Pollux was going to make something of himself. For himself. And for Castor.)

Then the Capitol.

Will met up with Antaeus again. With the Gamemakers. The President. With all of his sponsors and people who had supported him and bet on him. He was like a circus attraction. The most popular one. The one that everyone wanted to see.

He was glad to go home.

Everyone else was dead. They were all dead.

And somehow he was still alive.

Austin took his hand as they walked through a field together under the sun, as they had started to do. "You're alive," he said.

"You always sound so surprised."

"I'm just grateful."

"Me too."

Will was alive.

That would have to be enough.

 ***** **The End** *****


End file.
